^~^^^>FT^."r 


OPERA  STORIES 
FROM  WAGNER 


FLORENCE  AKIN 


GIFT  OF 

R'D  . LINGUIST 


SIEGFRIED 


OPERA    STORIES 
FROM    WAGNER 

A  READER  FOR  PRIMARY  GRADES 
BY  FLOKENCE  AKIN 

PRIMARY  TEACHER  IN  THE  IRVINGTON  SCHOOL 

PORTLAND,  OREGON 

AUTHOR  OF  "WORD  MASTERY" 


mmmmmB 


BOSTON  NEW  YORK  CHICAGO 
HOUGHTON  MIFFLIN  COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT,   I915,  BY  FLORENCE  AKIN 
ALL  RIGHTS   RESERVED 


Gift 

^.D  .LlNQUiST 

EDUCATION  DEPf* 


Sk  3afben(Qie  9reM 

CAMBRIDGB  .  MASSACHUSETTS 
U  .    8   .   A 


TO   THE  TEACHER 

This  little  book  will  give  to  the  pupil  the 
real  delight  of  acquaintance  with  another  of 
the  world's  great  masterpieces. 

The  conversational  style  of  the  stories  will 
be  found  a  valuable  aid  in  the  teaching  of 
expression. 

The  author  has  endeavored  to  make  the 
stories  complete,  with  only  those  parts  of 
the  original  tale  which  are  strong  and  sweet 
All  that  was  thought  inappropriate  for  chil- 
dren has  been  left  out. 

To  parents  and  teachers  who  desire  to 
read  the  complete  translations  the  author 
recommends  the  four  books  entitled,  The 
Rhine-Gold^  The  Walkure,  Siegfried^  and  Got- 
terddmmerung^  by  Dr.  Oliver  Huckel.  They 
are  the  most  pleasingly  written  translations 
that  the  author  of  this  book  has  ever  seen. 
The  verses  herein  used  are  quoted  from  them 
by  the  kind  permission  of  the  publishers, 
Thomas  Y.  Crowell  &  Company.  An  occa- 
sional sentence  in  several  of  the  stories  is 
borrowed  from  the  same  source. 

575787 


CONTENTS 

THE  RHINE-GOLD 

The  Happy  Rhine-Daughters 13 

Alberich 14 

The  Careless  Rhine-Daughters     .      .      .      .      .  15 

The  Theft 19 

The  Sad  Rhine-Daughters ;  21 

A  Castle  on  the  Rhine 21 

The  Morning 25 

The  Payment 26 

LoKi 27 

Youth  or  Age? 29 

NiBELHEIM 30 

The  Best  Smith  in  Nibelheim  .      .      .      .      .      .31 

The  piaster 33 

The  Boaster 35 

The  Wishing-Cap      .      .      .      .      .      .      .      .      .36 

The  Trick     ...........  38 

The  Curse 39 

The  Greedy  Fafner 42 

A  Slave  to  Gold 44 

The  Beautiful  Valhalla 45 

THE  WALKURE 

A  Matchless  Sword 47 

The  Valiant  Siegmund 50 

Hunding's  Wife 51 


4  CONTENTS 

HUNDINQ *        ...  52 

The  War-Maidens 54 

Wotan's  Wife 56 

WOTAN  AND  BrUNHILDE   ........  58 

Off  to  the  Battlefield .59 

The  Flight 61 

The  Punishment 62 

The  Sleep 65 

The  Magic  Fire       .      .      .      , 67 

SIEGFRIED 

The  Missing  Mimi 68 

The  Dragon .69 

A  Baby  in  the  Forest 71 

Mimi  and  the  Baby 72 

Siegfried  and  his  Friends 74 

The  Broken  Sword  .      . 76 

A  Big  Brown  Bear .77 

Siegfried  and  Mimi 80 

Siegfried  mends  his  Father's  Sword    .      .      ,      .81 

Siegfried  goes  to  fight  the  Dragon  ....  83 

A  Wood-Bird's  Song 84 

Siegfried  and  the  Dragon ~85 

A  Change  comes  over  Siegfried 87 

Mimi  has  a  Surprise 89 

Mimi  and  Alberich  stop  to  quarrel  too  long      .  90 

Siegfried  reaches  the  Mountain 91 

Siegfried  learns  what  Fear  is 93 

The  Awakening 95 


CONTENTS  5 

GOTTERDAMMERUNG 

A  Song  of  the  Past 97 

A  Song  of  the  Present 99 

A  Song  of  the  Future 100 

A  Pledge  of  Love 101 

The  Doom  of  Valhalla 102 

Love 104 

MORE   ABOUT   THE   STORIES 107 

PRONOUNCING  VOCABULARY 109 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Siegfried Frontispiece 

The  Rhine-Maidens  and  Alberich 17 

WOTAN 23 

He  tugged  in  vain 49 

Walkure  carrying  Heroes  to  Valhalla    ,      ,      ,      .  55 

"Eat  him,  Bruin,"  laughed  Siegfried       ....  79 

"I   AM  going  to    eat   YOU,"    HISSED   THE   DrAGON      .        .  86 

Three  Norns  came  to  the  Mountain  Crest  to  spin  97 


From  dravnngs  by  E.  Pollak-Ottendorff 


TO   THE   GIRLS   AND   BOYS 

In  these  stories  you  will  find  some  wonder- 
ful giants. 

You  will  find  beautiful  maidens  who  lived 
in  a  river. 

You  will  find  a  large  family  of  little  black 
dwarfs  who  lived  under  the  river,  and  you 
will  find  a  splendid  hero. 

The  little  children  of  Germany  used  to 
curl  up  in  their  mothers'  arms,  when  bed- 
time came,  and  listen  to  the  stories  of  these 
strange  people. 

When  these  little  children  grew  up,  they 
told  the  same  stories  to  their  children. 

So  it  went  for  many,  many  years* 

The  stories  have  been  put  together  by  a 
man  named  Richard  Wagner.  He  put  them 
together  in  such  a  way  that  they  make  one 
long  and  wonderful  story. 

After  he  had  told  these  stories  in  words,  he 
told  them  again  in  a  more  beautiful  way. 
He  told  them  in  music. 


ip ;;  :;;  .  :to  the  (?irls  and  boys 

Sometime  you  will  hear  this  music,  and 
you  will  think  of  beautiful  water-maidens, 
singing  and  dancing  in  the  sunshine. 

You  will  think  of  great  giants  walking 
over  mountains. 

Tou  will  think  of  the  little  black  dwarfs 
under  the  river,  and  you  will  hear  them 
hammering,  hammering  upon  their  anvils. 


OPERA  STORIES  FROM   WAGNER 


THE  EHINE-GOLD 

THE  HAPPY  RHINE-DAUGHTERS 

In  the  Rhine  River  there  lived  three  beau- 
tiful maidens.  They  were  called  the  Rhine- 
daughters. 

They  had  long,  golden  hair,  which  floated 
upon  the  waves  as  they  swam  from  rock  to 
rock. 

When  their  father  went  away,  he  left  in 
their  care  a  great  lump  of  pure  gold. 

This  gold  was  on  the  very  top  of  the  high- 
est rock  in  the  river. 

Every  morning  the  beautiful  Rhine-daugh- 
ters would  dance  and  sing  about  their  gold. 

They  sang  a  happy  song :  — 

"  Heigh-ho !  hither,  ye  waters  I 
Waver  and  waft  me  to  sleep  on  your  breast ! 
Heigh-ho !  hither,  ye  waters  I 
Weave  me  sweet  dreams  on  your  billowy  crest  I  " 


14  THE  RHINE-GOLD 


ALBERICH 

One  morning,  when  the  sun  was  shining 
very  brightly,  the  Rhine-daughters  were 
startled  by  a  strange  sound  in  the  depths 
of  the  water. 

"Look!''  whispered  one.  "What  is  that 
scowling  at  us  from  the  rocks  below? '' 

There,  stealing  along  the  river-bed,  they 
saw  a  hideous  little  black  dwarf. 

"Who  are  you,  and  what  do  you  want?'' 
asked  the  Rhine-daughters. 

"I  am  Alberich,"  answered  the  dwarf  as 
he  tried  to  climb  up  on  the  slippery  rocks. 
"  I  came  from  the  kingdom  of  the  Nibelungs, 
down  under  the  earth." 

"What!"  said  the  Rhine-daughters. 
"Surely  you  do  not  live  down  in  the  dark 
earth  where  there  is  no  sunshine?" 

"Yes,"  answered  Alberich.  "But  I  have 
come  up  to  frolic  in  the  sunshine  with  you  " ; 
and  he  held  out  his  ugly,  misshapen  little  hands 
to  take  the  hands  of  the  Rhine-daughters. 


THE  RHINE-GOLD  15 

They  only  laughed  at  him  and  darted 
away  to  a  higher  rock. 

Alberich  hurried  after  them. 

He  blinked  and  scowled  in  the  sunshine, 
because  his  eyes  were  not  used  to  the  light. 

The  maidens  laughed  and  shouted  in  their 
play. 

They  called  to  Alberich  and  teased  him. 

They  went  very  close  to  him,  pretending 
that  they  would  take  his  hand,  that  he,  too, 
might  play  in  the  sunshine.  Then  they  would 
quickly  dart  away,  mocking  him,  and  laugh- 
ing at  him  more  loudly  than  ever. 

Alberich  grew  fierce  and  angry. 

He  clenched  his  fists  and  cried:  — 

''  Woe  be  to  you  if  I  should  catch  you  now.'' 

THE  CAEELESS   RHINE-DAUGHTEES 

Alberich  was  the  most  hideous  of  all  the 
black,  ugly  little  Nibelungs. 

The  Nibelungs  had  cross,  scowling  faces, 
because  they  were  always  scolding  each 
other. 


16  THE  RHINE-GOLD 

They  quarreled  from  morning  till  night,  so, 
of  course,  then-  faces  grew  to  look  quarrel- 
some and  ugly. 

As  Alberich  hurried  after  the  Khine- 
daughters,  he  suddenly  caught  sight  of  the 
gold  glittering  in  the  morning  sun. 

He  stood  still.  Then  he  straightened  up  as 
tall  as  his  crooked,  misshapen  little  back 
would  let  him.  He  opened  his  eyes  wide. 

"Oh!  Sisters!  See  how  Alberich  is  star- 
ing at  our  gold ! "  whispered  one  of  the 
Ehine-daughters.  "Perhaps  this  is  the  foe 
of  which  our  father  warned  us.  How  careless 
we  have  been!" 

"Nonsense,"  answered  one.  "Who  would 
fear  this  little  black  fellow  ?  He  will  do  us 
no  harm.  Let  him  gaze  upon  the  gold.  Come, 
let  us  sing!" 

The  maidens  joined  hands  and  circled 
about  the  gold,  singing  :  — 

"  Hail  to  thee !  Hail  to  thee ! 
Treasure  most  bright ! 
Rhine-gold!  Rhine-gold! 
Beautiful  sight ! 


TIIE  RHINE-MAIDENS  AND  ALBERICH 


THE  RHINE-GOLD  19 

"  Hail  to  thee !  Hail  to  thee  I 
Out  of  the  night ! 
Rhine-gold !  Rhine-gold  I 
Wakened  so  bright  I  " 


THE  THEFT 

Still  Alberich  stood  and  stared  at  the 

gold. 

*^  What  is  it  ? ''  he  gasped.  ^*  What  is  it  ? '' 
The    Ehine-daughters   shouted  back    to 

him :  — 

"  Heigh-ho !  and  heigh-ho  I 
Dear  little  imp  of  woe, 
Laugh  with  us,  laugh  with  us  I 
Heigh-ho  and  heigh-ho !  " 

But  Alberich  did  not  laugh  with  them. 

He  would  not  take  his  eyes  off  the  gold. 

**  That/^  said  the  maidens,  ''  is  our  Rhine- 
gold.'' 

"A  very  pretty  plaything  it  is,''  said  Al- 
berich. 

"Yes,"  replied  the  careless  sisters,  "it  is 
magic  gold.  Who  moulds  this  gold  into  a  ring 
shall  have  all  power  upon  the  earth,  save 
love." 


20  THE  RHINE-GOLD 

Alberich  muttered  to  himself:  **What 
do  I  care  for  love  if  I  have  all  the  gold  I 
want?'' 

Then  he  sprang  upon  the  slippery  rock  and 
snatched  the  gold.  With  one  wild  leap  he 
plunged  into  the  depths  below. 

Down,  down  he  went  to  his  deep,  dark 
kingdom,  clutching  fast  the  precious  gold  and 
muttering:  — 

**Now  all  the  earth  is  mine.  It  is  mine, 
all  mine.  Now  I  shall  rule  the  world.'' 

Poor  foolish  Alberich !  He  did  not  know 
that  the  best  things  in  this  world  are  the 
things  which  gold  cannot  buy. 

The  power  of  love  is  greater  than  the  power 
of  gold. 

The  maidens  shrieked  and  screamed :  ''  Our 
gold !  Our  gold !  Our  precious  gold!  " 

Too  late!  Far,  far  below,  they  heard  a 
laugh,  the  rough,  rude  laugh  of  Alberich,  the 
dwarf. 


THE  RHINE-GOLD  21 


THE   SAD   RHINE-DAUGHTEKS 

After  that,  when  the  Ehine-daughters 
came  to  the  rock  where  the  gold  had  been, 
they  could  not  sing  their  happy  song. 

Their  faces  were  very  sad  now,  and  they 
said:  ''  Oh,  why  did  Alberich  steal  our  beau- 
tiful gold  ?  It  cannot  make  him  happy,  for 
no  one  can  ever  be  truly  happy  who  does 
not  know  love/' 

They  often  sat  upon  the  rocks  in  the  dusk 
of  the  evening  and  cried  as  if  their  hearts 
would  break  because  they  had  lost  their  gold. 

"  The  black  waves  surge  in  sorrow  through  the  depths, 
And  aU  the  Rhine  is  wailing  in  its  woe." 

A  CASTLE   ON  THE   EHINE 

On  a  mountain-side,  above  the  banks  of 
the  Rhine,  lived  a  family  of  splendid  giants. 

The  greatest  of  the  giants  was  Wotan.  He 
was  the  king. 

They  had  always  lived  out  of  doors,  be- 


22  THE   RHINE-GOLD 

cause  the  king  had  never  been  able  to  find 
a  giant  who  was  large  enough  to  build  such  a 
grand  castle  as  he  wanted  for  his  family. 

But  one  day  there  came  to  the  mountain- 
side the  largest  giant  Wotan  had  ever  seen. 

His  name  was  Fafner. 

He  was  many  times  larger  than  Wotan. 

Wotan  told  Fafner  how  much  he  wanted  a 
wonderful  castle. 

Fafner  said:  **I  will  build  such  a  castle 
for  you  if  you  will  give  me  your  sister,  Freya.'' 

Fafner  wanted  to  take  the  beautiful  Freya 
to  his  own  country. 

Wotan  did  not  stop  to  think  what  an  aw- 
ful thing  it  would  be  to  lose  Freya. 

His  thoughts  were  of  nothing  but  the  won- 
derful castle. 

^' Build  it,  Fafner,''  said  Wotan. 

That  night  Wotan  and  his  family  lay  down 
upon  their  mountain  to  sleep. 

Wotan  dreamed  of  a  wonderful  stone  castle 
with  glittering  towers. 

He  dreamed  he  saw  the  castle  gleaming  in 
the  morning  sun. 


WOTAN 


THE  RHINE-GOLD  25 


THE  MORNING 


It  was  morning  in  the  beautiful  country 
where  the  Rhine  River  flows. 

The  giants  upon  the  hillside  were  just 
awakening  from  their  night's  sleep. 

During  the  night  Fafner  had  built  the 
wonderful  castle. 

Wotan's  wife  was  the  first  to  see  it. 

*^ Awake,  WotanI  Awake!  '^  she  cried. 

As  Wotan  opened  his  eyes  he  saw  the  cas- 
tle upon  the  summit  of  the  mountain. 

What  a  great  shining  castle  it  was ! 

In  delight  Wotan  cried:  **Tis  finished! 
And  my  glorious  dream  is  true ! '' 

All  night  long  Fafner  had  toiled  hard. 

He  finished  just  as  the  morning  dawned. 

He  was  waiting  now  for  Wotan  to  awaken 
and  to  give  to  him  the  beautiful  Freya. 

He  would  take  her  and  hurry  to  his  own 
country. 


26  THE  RHINE-GOLD 

THE  PAYMENT 

''  While  you  slept  I  built  the  castle/'  said 
Fafner.  *'  Now  I  am  ready  for  the  payment." 

**What  payment  do  you  want?''  asked 
Wotan. 

**What  payment  do  I  want?"  shouted 
Fafner.  ^'  Surely  you  have  not  forgotten  your 
promise  ?  The  price  was  Freya,  and  I  shall 
take  her  home  with  me." 

**0h,  that  was  only  in  jest,"  said  Wotan. 
"  I  could  not  think  of  letting  Freya  go.  But 
I  shall  pay  you  well  for  the  castle.  I  shall 
give  you  something  else  that  wiU  be  just  as 
good  for  you." 

Fafner  grew  very  angry  and  screamed :  — 

*' Cease  your  foolish  talk.  I  built  your 
beautiful  stone  palace.  I  drudged  and  toiled 
and  heaped  the  massive  rocks.  Each  stone 
lies  firm  and  solid  in  its  place,  and  I  wiU 
have  my  pay !  " 

**But,  surely,"  said  Wotan,  **you  did  not 
think  I  meant  to  give  you  Freya?  'Tis  she 


THE   RHINE-GOLD  27 

who  feeds  us  golden  apples.  No  one  but  Freya 
knows  how  to  make  them  grow.  If  it  were  not 
for  her  fresh  fruits  my  family  would  grow  old. 
They  would  wither  like  the  autumn  flowers." 

*'Yes,"  raged  Fafner;  ^*I  know  it  is  fair 
Freya's  golden  apples  that  keep  you  young. 
But  now  Freya  belongs  to  me.  Nothing  else 
will  I  have." 

Just  then  Wotan  saw  his  brother,  Loki, 
coming  over  the  mountain. 

**  Wait,  Fafner !  Wait  until  I  can  talk  with 
my  brother  about  this ! " 

LOKI 

''  Loki,  why  are  you  so  late  ?  "  complained 
Wotan,  when  Loki  came. 

Loki  was  much  excited. 

"•  The  Ehine-daughters  are  in  great  trou- 
ble, Wotan.  As  I  was  coming  by  the  river 
I  heard  them  weeping  and  wailing.  Black 
Alberich  has  stolen  their  gold,  and  I  prom- 
ised them  that  I  would  tell  you  about  it. 
Perhaps  you  could  help  them." 


28  THE  RHINE-GOLD 

**I  have  no  time  for  the  Ehine-daughters 
now/'  said  Wotan.  ''"I  have  trouble  of  my 
own.  Tell  me  how  I  can  save  poor  Freya ! '' 

For  many  years  Fafner  had  heard  of  this 
lump  of  gold.  So  he  listened  to  all  that  Loki 
told.  Then  he  asked:  **Why  does  Alberich 
want  the  gold? '' 

"  Because/'  replied  Loki,  ''  the  gold  can  be 
made  into  a  magic  ring ;  if  the  one  who  would 
make  the  ring  will  forever  give  up  all  love, 
the  magic  ring  will  make  its  owner  master 
of  the  whole  wide  world.  Alberich  declared 
that  love  was  nothing  to  him  if  he  could 
have  all  the  gold  he  wanted.'' 

To  himseK  Fafner  thought:  '^  Perhaps  it 
would  be  better  for  me  to  have  the  gold  than 
to  have  Freya  and  her  golden  apples."  Then 
aloud  he  said:  *'Let  me  tell  you  what  I  am 
willing  to  do,  Wotan.  If  you  will  get  that 
gold  for  me,  I  will  accept  it  in  place  of 
Freya." 

''  Ton  rascal  I "  roared  Wotan.  "  How  can 
I  give  you  gold  that  is  not  mine  ?  " 

**Very  well,"  said  Fafner.    ''I  did  not 


THE  RHINE-GOLD  29 

come  here  to  quarrel.  Already  I  have  waited 
too  long.  I  shall  take  my  pay.  Come,  Freya, 
you  must  go  with  me.^' 

Poor,  frightened  Freya  wept  and  cried 
aloud  as  Fafner  picked  her  up  and  carried 
her  off  over  the  mountain. 

He  called  back  to  Wotan  and  Loki:  "I 
will  keep  Freya  until  evening.  Then  I  shall 
come  again,  and  if  you  have  that  glittering 
Ehine-gold  for  me,  then  you  may  have  your 
sister.  If  you  do  not  give  me  the  gold,  then 
Freya  is  mine  and  I  will  keep  her  always." 

YOUTH  OR  AGE? 

As  soon  as  Freya  was  gone,  the  flowers 
began  to  droop  their  heads. 

Wotan  and  his  family  began  to  grow  old 
and  gray. 

It  seemed  to  Wotan  like  some  awful  dream. 

Suddenly  Loki  cried  out:  **  We  have  not 
eaten  Freya's  fruit  to-day !  Now  she  is  gone, 
we  shall  all  wither  and  die ! '' 

Wotan  had  stood  gazing  at  the  ground, 


30  THE  RHINE-GOLD 

trying  hard  to  think  what  he  could  do  to 
save  himself  and  his  family. 

*'Come,  Loki,"  he  said.  *'We  must  go  to 
the  deep  dark  kingdom  of  the  Mbelungs.  I 
must  have  the  gold !  Let  us  go  by  way  of 
the  brimstone  gorge.  I  cannot  go  by  way 
of  the  river.  I  do  not  want  to  hear  the  wail- 
ing of  the  Ehine-daughters.'' 

Wotan  called  back  to  his  anxious  family: 
'^Only  wait  till  evening  and  I  promise  I 
shall  bring  your  lost  youth  back  to  you." 

/ 

NIBELHEIM 

"  Far,  far  below  the  ground  are  gloomy  depths,  — 
A  mighty  cavern,  rocky,  dark  and  vast." 

It  was  as  dark  as  night  down  in  the  king- 
dom of  the  Nibelungs,  except  for  the  light 
which  flared  from  the  smoking  torches,  or 
glowed  in  the  coals  upon  the  anvils. 

The  family  of  dwarfs  were  skilled  black- 
smiths and  metal-workers. 

From  every  little  niche  and  comer  came 
the  sound  of  clinking  anvils. 


THE  RHINE-GOLD  31 

Before  Alberich  stole  the  gold,  the  Nibe- 
lungs  often  sang  as  they  worked. 

They  sometimes  made  pretty  ornaments 
for  their  wives  to  wear  or  toys  for  their  little 
children. 

But  now  Alberich  had  made  the  ring  of 
gold  which  bound  them  to  do  his  will. 

He  had  no  love  in  his  heart,  so  he  drove 
and  scolded  all  the  time. 

He  made  them  work,  work,  work,  both  day 
and  night,  and  all  that  they  made  belonged 
to  him. 

So  Alberich  was  daily  becoming  mightier 
than  ever. 

THE  BEST   SMITH   IN   NIBELHEIM 

MiMi,  who  was  Alberich's  brother,  was  the 
best  smith  in  all  this  swarm  of  black  slaves. 

Alberich  forced  Mimi  to  make  for  him  a 
strange  wishing-cap. 

It  was  made  of  woven  steel. 

Mimi  had  to  make  it  just  as  Alberich  said, 
but  Mimi  did  not  know  how  it  was  to  be  used. 


32  THE  RHINE-GOLD 

When  it  was  finished,  Mimi  feared  it  had 
some  wonderful  power,  and  he  did  not  want 
Alberich  to  have  it. 

He  wished  he  might  keep  it  for  himself. 

He  had  worked  hard  to  make  it. 

*'  Give  me  that  helmet,^'  said  Alberich. 
''  I  want  you  to  know,  Mimi,  that  everything 
in  this  cave  belongs  to  me!  " 

Mimi  had  to  give  it  up. 

Alberich  put  it  on  his  head.  ^'  Now  I  shall 
see  what  magic  there  is  in  this  wishing-cap. 
Come,  Night  and  Darkness! ''  he  called. 
**Make  me  so  no  one  can  see  me !  " 

In  an  instant  he  was  gone,  and  there 
was  only  a  cloud  of  smoke  where  he  had 
stood. 

**Now,  Mimi!  "he  called,  "look  sharp! 
Can  you  see  me?'' 

"No,''  gasped  Mimi.  "I  cannot  see  you 
at  all." 

The  cloud  of  smoke  moved  down  the 
gloomy  cave  and  Alberich's  cruel  voice 
laughed  :  "  Ha !  ha !  Now  I  shall  make  you 
black  slaves  work!  Now  you  dare  not  be 


THE   RHINE-GOLD  33 

idle,  for  when  you  do  not  see  me  I  shall  be 
watching  you !  ^^ 

His  voice  sank  deeper.  ^'  Now  I  will  make 
you  dig,  dig,  dig,  to  the  very  depths  of  the 
earth  to  bring  me  gold !  ^' 

Mimi  was  so  frightened. 

When  the  cloud  of  smoke  had  gone  out  of 
sight,  he  lay  down  upon  the  rocks  and  cried. 

THE   MASTER 

WoTAN  and  Loki  swung  themselves  over 
the  ledge  and  slid  down  into  the  murky  cave 
where  Alberich  lived. 

Wotan  looked  around  and  said :  — 

*'  So  this  is  the  Kingdom  of  the  Mbelungs ! 
What  an  awful  place  it  is !  ^' 

From  far  down  the  passages  came  the 
sound  of  hundreds  of  slaves  melting  and 
welding  precious  metals  for  their  master. 

"Loki,^^  said  Wotan,  **I  believe  it  is  al- 
ways dark  and  gloomy  where  there  is  no  love. 
What  is  that  strange  cry  I  hear?  ^' 

**Ho,  Mimi,  is  that  you? ^^  said  Loki. 


34  THE  RHINE-GOLD 

''  Leave  me  alone !,''  cried  Mimi. 

**Then  tell  me  what  you  are  crying 
about  ? '' 

**01i/^  replied  Mimi,  *^tliat  wretched  Al- 
berich,  with  his  ring  of  gold,  has  made  us 
all  his  slaves !  With  it  he  drives  us  down 
into  the  earth  to  dig  more  gold.  What  we  get 
is  all  his.  We  slave  for  him  both  day  and 
night. 

"This  curse  of  gold  has  filled  our  cavern 
with  despair.  Lately  he  made  me  forge  a 
wishing-cap  for  him.  With  it  he  makes  him- 
self so  none  can  see  him.  Now  we  slaves  can 
never  rest.  Sh!  sh!  He  is  coming  now!" 

Wotan  and  Loki,  peering  through  the 
darkness,  could  see  him  now  and  then  as  he 
passed  under  the  light  of  a  flaring  torch. 

He  was  driving  a  swarm  of  bent  black 
slaves  who  were  carrying  great  packs  of  gold 
and  silver  and  precious  ore  upon  their 
backs. 

The  helmet  was  hanging  at  his  waist. 

In  his  hand  he  was  swinging  a  whip  and 
the  giants  could  hear  him  yelling :  — 


THE   RHINE-GOLD  36 

'Tile  up  the  gold!  Hurry!  Hurry,  you 
lazy  rogues !  ^' 

THE  BOASTER 

Suddenly  Alberich  saw  the  giants. 

''Who  is  this  that  dares  come  into  my 
cave?"  he  cried.  "Mimi,  get  back  to  your 
work ! " 

Then  to  all  the  other  slaves  he  called :  — 

"  Get  below,  every  one  of  you  1  Crawl  into 
your  dingy  shafts  and  dig  the  gold !  Begone, 
I  say!  You  must  obey  the  master  of  the 
ring ! " 

As  soon  as  the  black  swarm  had  crept 
away,  Alberich  spoke  angrily  to  Wotan  and 
Loki.  "  What  do  you  want  in  here  ?  " 

"We  just  came  to  see  you,"  said  Wotan. 
*'  We  hoped  you  might  be  glad  to  have  us. 
We  think  you  must  be  a  very  clever  man. 
We  have  heard  a  great  deal  about  the  won- 
derful things  you  can  do." 

This  pleased  Alberich.  He  grew  very  proud 
and  began  to  boast. 


36  THE  RHINE-GOLD 

''  See  all  this  gold  of  mine ! "  he  said. 

**Yes/'  answered  Loki;  "it  is  the  most 
gold  I  have  ever  seen,  biit  what  use  is  it  ? 
It  does  no  one  any  good  in  here  where  no- 
thing useful  can  be  bought  with  if 

"I  am  heaping  it  up/'  said  Alberich. 
**  Some  day,  with  this  same  treasure,  heaped 
and  hid,  I  hope  to  work  some  wonders.  You 
shall  see !  I  shall  be  master  of  the  whole  wide 
world!  Ha!  the  smoke  of  Alberich's  king- 
dom shall  smudge  even  your  flowery  moun- 
tain-sides and  your  sparkling  rivers.  Every- 
body shall  be  my  slave!  Beware  of  this 
black  Nibelung,  I  say,  for  he  shall  rule  the 
world ! " 

THE  WISHING-^CAP 

Loki  was  very  sly  and  cunning.  While 
Alberich  boasted,  he  was  planning  how  he 
might  trick  the  dwarf  and  take  his  gold. 

To  Alberich  he  said:  "Surely,  you  will 
be  the  mightiest  of  men.  But  suppose 
that  while  you  sleep,  one  of  your  slaves 


THE  RHINE-GOLD  37 

should   creep    upon    you   and    steal   your 
ring?  " 

Alberich  smiled.  *' There  is  no  danger  of 
that,"  he  said.  ''  I  will  show  you  a  trick  or 
two.  Do  you  see  this  helmet  ?  It  is  a  magic 
helmet.  With  it  I  can  make  myself  so  no  one 
can  see  me,  or  I  can  change  myself,  quick  as 
a  flash,  into  anything  I  wish  to  be.  So,  you 
see,  I  am  perfectly  safe." 

**  I  never  heard  of  such  wonders,"  an- 
swered Loki.  "•  I  really  cannot  believe  it." 

"  I  shall  prove  it  to  you,"  said  the  dwarf, 
never  dreaming  that  the  sly  Loki  was  only 
laying  a  trap  for  him.  **  What  form  will  you 
have  me  take?" 

**  Turn  into  anything  you  wish.  Only  let 
me  see  it  done  and  then  I  shall  believe." 

Alberich  put  on  the  helmet.  *^Ho!  Mon- 
ster Dragon,  come !  "  And  quick  as  a  flash 
he  turned  into  a  huge  dragon. 

Loki  pretended  to  be  frightened.  As  the 
fierce  monster  squirmed  toward  him,  he  made 
believe  that  he  was  going  to  rush  from  the 
cave. 


38  THE  RHINE-GOLD 

THE  TRICK 

The  dragon  vanished  and  there  stood 
Alberich  again. 

**Now  do  you  believe? ''  he  asked. 

** Indeed,  I  do/'  replied  Loki.  **  It  is  won- 
derful. But  if  you  could  shrink  to  some  tiny 
thing,  it  would  be  even  much  more  clever, 
because  you  could  creep  into  a  crevice  and 
spy  upon  your  enemies.  But,  of  course,  get- 
ting small  would  be  too  hard  a  thing  to 
do.'' 

''  Only  tell  me  what  you  would  have  me 
be,"  said  Alberich. 

*'Now  I  shall  catch  him,"  thought  Loki. 
''  Could  you  make  yourself  as  little  as  a  toad 
that  quickly  slinks  under  the  rock  when 
there  is  danger  near?  " 

**  Ha!  Nothing  easier,"  laughed  Alberich. 

And  again  putting  the  helmet  on  his  head 
he  coaxed :  — 

**Come,  little  toad!  Creep  from  your 
cranny!" 


THE  RHINE-GOLD  39 

Alberich  was  gone,  and  there  at  Wotan^s 
feet  hopped  the  tiny  toad. 

''  Quick,  WotanI  "  cried  Loki. 

And  in  an  instant  Wotan  put  his  heavy 
foot  upon  the  toad. 

Loki  reached  down  and  took  the  magic 
wishing-cap. 

As  soon  as  the  cap  was  off,  the  toad  dis- 
appeared, and  there  lay  Alberich,  held  fast 
by  Wotan's  giant  foot. 

*'  Let  me  go  I  '^  shrieked  the  dwarf.  *'  Take 
your  foot  off  of  me,  this  minute ! '' 

Wotan  calmly  answered:  **You  may  go 
when  you  have  promised  all  I  ask.'' 

''  Then  what  do  you  want? ''  groaned  Alber- 
ich. 

**I  want  all  your  glittering  gold,''  said 
Wotan. 

THE   CUESE 

Alberich  held  the  ring  close  under  his 
breast  and  muttered  to  himself:  "They 
may  have  the  gold  I    What  do  I  care !   With 


40  THE  RHINE-GOLD 

this  ring  I  can  soon  make  my  slaves  dig 


more/' 


Then  aloud  he  said:  **Tou  may  take  the 
gold.  My  slaves  shall  heap  it  at  your  feet/' 

He  slyly  slipped  his  hand  to  his  lips  and, 
kissing  the  ring,  called  his  slaves  with  its 
magic. 

In  a  moment  the  little  black  Nibelungs 
came  in  swarms  from  every  shaft,  bearing 
the  precious  gold. 

Alberich  did  not  like  to  have  them  see 
him  under  Wotan's  foot. 

''Heap  up  the  treasure!''  he  yelled. 
''  Don't  stop  to  stare  at  me.  I  am  still  your 
master.  Now,  crawl  back  into  your  shafts 
and  drudge.  I  am  coming  in  a  minute,  and 
it  will  not  be  well  for  you  if  I  do  not  find 
you  digging!" 

Trembling  with  fear,  they  scurried  to  the 
darkest  depths. 

'*  Now,  there  is  your  gold ! "  said  Alberich. 
'* Give  back  my  helmet  and  let  me  go! " 

But  Loki  quickly  tossed  the  helmet  upon 
the  shining  heap. 


THE  RHINE-GOLD  41 

**  Take  it,  then/'  snarled  the  dwarf,  think- 
ing he  could  easily,  with  the  power  of  the 
ring,  force  Mimi  to  make  another,  *'but  let 
me  go,  I  say !  '^ 

**Just  wait  a  minute,  Alberich,''  said 
Wotan.  "  That  ring  I  saw  glittering  on  your 
finger,  — I  must  have  that  too/' 

''  The  ring ! ''  Alberich  screamed  in  horror. 
**No,  you  shall  never  have  the  ring!" 

Wotan' s  face  grew  stern. 

*'That  ring  does  not  belongto  you.  Toustole 
its  gold  from  the  Khine-children,"  he  said. 

''  Think  twice,  Wotan,  before  you  take  this 
ring  from  me !  I  warn  you  now  a  curse  goes 
with  it." 

But  Wotan  drew  the  ring  from  the  dwarf's 
finger,  then  set  him  free. 

*'  Farewell,  Alberich !  Farewell ! " 

*'Ha!"  laughed  Alberich  in  scorn.  *'It 
will  never  bring  you  happiness.  Its  owner 
shall  always  feel  its  curse  of  care,  sorrow, 
and  unrest." 

Then,  turning,  he  groped  his  way  down 
the  cavern,  far  poorer  than  the  day  he  went 


42  THE   RHINE-GOLD 

stealing  along  the  slippery  bed  of  the  river. 
Then,  he  had  no  gold.  Now,  he  had  no  gold 
and  no  friends. 


THE   GREEDY  FAFNER 

WoTAN  and  Loki  hurried  back  to  the 
mountain-side  with  their  treasure. 

At  the  same  time  Fafner  returned,  bring- 
ing Freya.  ^ 

Already  Fafner  had  made  up  his  mind 
that  if  he  gave  Freya  back,  he  must  have  a 
very  great  deal  of  gold. 

When  Freya  again  reached  her  own  coun- 
try, the  sun  grew  brighter,  the  air  grew 
sweeter,  and  the  glow  of  youth  came  back 
to  the  cheeks  of  Wotan  and  his  family. 

"  Here,  Fafner,  is  your  gold ! "  great  Wotan 
cried. 

*'I  am  sorry  to  give  Freya  up,"  said  Faf- 
ner. **Pile  up  the  gold  between  her  and  me. 
You  may  keep  her  if  there  is  gold  enough  to 
hide  her  completely  from  my  sight.  So  long 
as  I  can  see  her,  I  cannot  part  with  her.'' 


THE  RHINE-GOLD  43 

Then  Wotan  and  his  family  heaped  the 
glittering  gold.  They  piled  it  as  loosely  as 
they  could,  but  when  they  had  put  on  all 
the  gold  they  had,  the  greedy  Fafner  cried : — 

**More,  morel  It  is  not  high  enough  I  Still 
I  can  see  fair  Freya's  shimmering  hair. 
Throw  on  that  shining  helmet  I '' 

**Put  it  on,  Loki,''  commanded  Wotan. 
*'  There,  Fafner,  is  your  pay.  Freya  again 
belongs  to  me.'' 

**Not  yet!''  cried  Fafner,  as  he  peeped 
through  a  space  in  the  heap.  **  I  can  see  her 
eyes  through  here."  Then,  pointing  to  the 
ring  on  Wotan's  finger:  "  Bring  that  ring  and 
put  it  in  this  space." 

**  Never !  "  cried  Wotan. 

Then  Loki  spoke.  **  The  ring  belongs  to 
the  Rhine-maidens,  and  Wotan  is  going  to 
return  it  to  them.  Already  we  have  given 
you  more  than  you  should  expect,  all  that 
shining  heap  and  the  helmet  besides." 

**I  will  not  give  you  any  more!  "  roared 
Wotan.  ''  Not  all  the  mighty  world  shall  take 
this  ring  from  my  finger! " 


44  THE  RHINE-GOLD 

"  Then  I  shall  be  gone,"  said  Fafner.  *'  I 
was  afraid  you  would  not  give  me  enough 
gold.  Freya  is  mine  forevermore." 

Wotan's  family  began  to  plead  for  Freya. 
**She  is  worth  more  to  us  than  all  the  gold  in 
this  world !  Without  her  we  must  all  wither 
and  die ! "     ^ 

It  was  no  use  to  resist.  Wotan  knew  that 
he  dared  not  lose  Freya, 

Taking  the  ring  from  his  finger,  he  flung 
it  upon  the  shining  heap. 

A  SLAVE  TO   GOLD 

Fafner  gathered  up  the  hoard — the  hoard 
for  which  he  had  worked  —  the  hoard  for 
which  he  had  made  so  much  trouble. 

He  carried  it  oflf  to  his  own  country.  Now 
that  he  had  it,  he  had  no  thought  of  using  it. 

He  wanted  it  merely  for  gold's  sake ;  not 
for  the  sake  of  the  great,  good  things  that 
might  be  done  with  it.  The  only  thing  he 
wished  to  do  was  to  keep  others  from  get- 
ting it. 


THE  RHINE-GOLD  46 

He  heaped  it  up  in  a  cave  in  the  forest. 
Then  he  put  on  the  helmet  and  changed  him- 
self into  a  fierce,  ugly  dragon. 

For  the  Jove  of  mere  gold  he  was  willing 
to  give  up  being  a  splendid  giant,  who 
roamed  freely  over  the  beautiful  mountains, 
and  to  become  a  hideous,  twisting,  squirm- 
ing monster. 

The  rest  of  his  life  he  would  lie  at  the  door 
of  the  cave  and  guard  the  treasure.  The  treas- 
ure should  lie  there  useless  to  all  the  world. 

Fafner,  —  a  slave  to  gold  I 

THE   BEAUTIFUL   VALHALLA 

As  Fafner  carried  away  his  treasure,  a 
great  storm  gathered  over  the  mountain  crest. 

The  sky  grew  black.  The  thunder  rolled. 
Its  echoes  bounded  on  from  cloud  to  cloud, 
from  peak  to  peak,  then  rumbled  down  the 
valleys  to  the  sea. 

Then  the  clouds  drifted  away.  The  setting 
sun  shot  its  long  rays  into  the  deep  valley. 

There,  arching  over  the  river  and  reaching 


46  THE  RHINE-GOLD 

from  the  flowery  mountain-side  to  the  very 
door  of  the  gleaming  castle,  stood  a  shining 
rainbow  bridge. 

''  Lo !  our  castle !  Our  beautiful  Valhalla !  ^' 
cried  the  king.  "Let  us  cross  over.  It  shall 
be  our  dwelling-place  forevermore.'' 

One  by  one  they  stepped  upon  the  bridge. 

As  Wotan  walked  slowly  and  sadly  over, 
he  heard  the  wailing  of  the  Rhine-maidens 
in  the  river  below :  — 

"Rhine-gold!  Rhine-gold! 
We  long  for  your  light !  " 

"  I  shall  never  be  happy  again,"  thought 
Wotan.  "I  have  given  my  honor  for  Val- 
halla. What  an  awful  price  I  have  paid! " 


THE  WALKURE 

A   MATCHLESS   SWORD 

Many  years  passed.  The  giants  lived  on 
in  their  beautiful  Valhalla. 

But  their  king  was  sad. 

He  could  not  forget  Alberich's  curse. 
What  if  Alberich  should  in  some  way  gain 
possession  of  the  ring  again !  He  would  de- 
stroy Valhalla. 

**  Oh,  why  was  I  not  brave  enough  to  give 
the  ring  back  to  the  Rhine-children  I ''  sighed 
Wotan. 

**If  only  it  might  again  be  a  mere  thing 
of  beauty  to  gladden  their  hearts,  but  so  long 
as  it  is  in  the  world,  how  many  more  will  it 
not  rob  of  their  happiness. 

**  Surely,  some  great  hero  must  come  who 
will  be  brave  enough  to  slay  the  dragon  and 
give  the  ring  back  to  its  rightful  owners.^' 

Said  Wotan  to  himself,  "  I  shall  make  a 


48  THE  WALKCRE 

mighty  sword,  and  when  the  hero  comes,  his 
sword  will  be  ready  for  him/' 

Then  the  great  Wotan  wrought  a  match- 
less sword. 

When  it  was  finished,  he  took  it  and  went 
into  the  forest.  Straight  he  went  to  the  home 
of  the  bold  robber  Hunding. 

It  was  a  beautiful  moonlight  night  when 
he  reached  Hunding's  hut. 

From  the  loud  laughter  and  shouting  that 
"Wotan  heard  as  he  neared  the  hut,  he  knew 
that  Hunding  and  his  friends  were  having  a 
merry  feast. 

Wotan  lifted  the  latch  and  entered. 

The  great,  rude  room  was  built  around  the 
trunk  of  a  mighty  ash  tree. 

The  walls  were  made  of  roughly  hewn  logs. 

The  floors  were  covered  with  the  skins  of 
wild  animals  of  the  forest. 

Mats  of  reeds  and  grasses  hung  upon  the 
walls. 

The  huge  fireplace  was  built  of  rough 
stones. 

The  mighty  Wotan  scowled  upon  the  crowd. 


THE  WALKURE  49 

Then,  lifting  the  gleaming  sword  above  his 
head,  with  one  great  lunging  blow,  he  buried 
the  bright  blade,  even  to  its  hilt,  in  the  great 
ash  tree^s  quivering  side. 

Then,  turning  to  the  guests,  he  said :  — 
**The  sword  shall  belong  to  him  who  can 
draw  it  from  the  ash  tree's  heart/' 


HE  TUGGED  IN  VAIN 


Though  each  guest  tugged  with  all  his 
might,  he  tugged  in  vain. 

In  the  years  that  followed,  many  came  and 
went,  and  all  tried  hard  to  gain  the  sword, 


50  THE  WALKURE 

and  still  that  magic  blade  slept  on  within 
the  ash  tree's  sheath. 


THE   VALIANT   SIEGMUND 

One  very  dark  and  stormy  night,  Sieg- 
mund,  a  brave  warrior,  wandered  alone  in 
the  forest. 

That  day  a  desperate  battle  had  been 
fought. 

As  the  darkness  came  on,  Siegmund  es- 
caped from  the  enemy. 

He  had  lost  his  weapons,  and  now  he 
trudged  through  the  pathless  woods,  seek- 
ing some  place  where  he  might  find  balm 
for  his  wounds  and  shelter  from  the  raging 
storm. 

He  was  almost  exhausted  when  he  caught 
sight  of  a  flickering  candlelight  in  the  win- 
dow of  a  forest  hut. 

With  the  little  strength  that  he  had  left, 
he  dragged  himself  to  its  door. 

No  one  answered  his  call,  and  no  longer 
caring  if  it  were  the  home  of  friend  or  foe. 


THE  WALKURE  51 

he  opened  the  door,  and  staggering  in  he 
sank  upon  the  hearth. 

As  he  looked  about  him  he  thought, ''  This 
is  the  home  of  some  forest  chief/' 

A  great  fire  burned  in  the  rude  fireplace, 
and,  as  he  grew  warm,  being  worn  and  weary, 
he  sank  into  a  heavy  sleep. 

HUNDING^S  WIFE 

As  Siegmund  slept,  the  door  of  the  inner 
room  was  gently  opened  and  a  beautiful 
woman  stole  softly  in. 

She  was  clad  in  snowy  white. 

Her  head  was  crowned  with  a  wealth  of 
golden  hair. 

She  had  heard  Siegmund  as  he  entered  the 
room,  and,  thinking  her  chieftain  had  returned 
from  the  hunt,  she  came  to  greet  him. 

Instead  she  saw  a  stranger  on  the  hearth, 
and,  drawing  near,  she  saw  that  his  face 
looked  sad  and  troubled. 

**Who  are  you?'^  she  asked,  but  Sieg- 
mund did  not  stir. 


52  THE   WALKURE 

Then  she  knelt  beside  him  and.  looked  into 
his  face. 

It  was  the  strong,  noble  face  of  a  hero. 

*'He  sleeps/^  she  said.  **How  weak  and 
weary  he  seems.  Perhaps  he  has  been 
wounded  or  is  faint  from  hunger. '^ 

Siegmund  roused  and  asked  for  water. 

The  woman  ran  quickly,  and,  bringing  a 
cup  of  cold  water,  held  it  to  his  parched 
lips. 

Siegmund  drank.  Then,  gazing  into  the 
woman's  kind  face,  he  gasped :  **  Where  am 

But,  with  a  startled  look,  she  stood  in 
silence,  listening  to  the  heavy  tread  out- 
side the  door. 

HUNDING 

The  next  moment  the  chieftain  entered 
and  glared  fiercely  at  Siegmund. 

The  woman  hastened  to  say :  *'  I  found 
this  stranger  lying  on  our  hearth.  He  was 
faint  and  needed  help.'' 


THE  WALKURE  53 

**  And  did  you  give  it  ? ''  growled  the  chief- 
tain. 

''  I  gave  him  water.  I  could  not  drive  him 
out  into  the  stormy  night.'' 

The  chieftain  grew  dark  with  anger  as  he 
said:  *' Because  it  is  the  sacred  law  of  my 
country  that  none  shall  be  turned  from  the 
door  who  seek  shelter  from  the  night,  this 
intruder  may  stay  until  the  morning.  Then 
he  shall  fight  for  his  life.'' 

Siegmund  knew  now  that  he  was  in  the 
house  of  the  fierce  Hunding. 

Taking  the  woman  by  the  arm,  Hunding 
led  her  from  the  room,  and  Siegmund  was 
left  alone  to  think  how  he  might  save  him- 
self. 

Long  he  leaned  upon  the  hearth  in  trou- 
bled silence.  Then,  knowing  he  must  flee,  he 
turned  toward  the  door. 

That  moment  the  last  flickering  light  of 
the  dying  fire  flashed  upon  the  hilt  of  the 
magic  sword  in  the  ash  tree. 

Siegmund  saw  it,  and,  springing  forward, 
he  grasped  its  hilt.  Then,  bracing  himself 


64  THE   WALKURE 

against  the  tree,  with  one  mighty  pull,  be- 
hold! he  drew  the  bright  blade  from  its 
sheath. 


THE   WAR-MAIDENS 

WoTAN  gathered  to  Valhalla  a  company 
of  nine  war-maidens.  They  were  called  the 
Walkiire. 

They  were  strong,  beautiful  young  women, 
who  rode  through  the  clouds  upon  swift 
horses. 

The  horses  could  not  only  run  on  the 
ground;  they  could  fly  through  the  air. 

The  maidens  wore  wings  upon  their  hel- 
mets, and  each  wore  a  splendid  silver  armor 
which  glittered  and  flashed  in  the  sunshine. 

Wherever  there  was  a  battle  on  the  earth, 
Wotan  would  send  a  battle-maiden  for  the 
most  valiant  hero  on  the  field. 

The  maiden  would  fly  over  the  battlefield 
and  watch  while  the  warriors  fought. 

When  the  bravest  man  was  wounded,  she 
would  quickly  swoop  down,  and,  snatching 


THE  WALKURE 


55 


him  up,  would  fly 
with  him  to  Valhalla, 
where  he  was  revived 
by  fair  Freya. 

Sometimes,  when 
evening  came,  every 
one  of  the  war-maid- 
ens rode  into  Val- 
halla carrying  a  no- 
ble hero. 

This  was  Wotan's 
plan  for  protecting 
the  palace. 


56  THE   WALKURE 

After  a  while  he  would  have  at  the  castle 
a  company  of  the  bravest  heroes  of  the  earth. 

He  hoped  he  would  then  be  happier. 

The  heroes  would  protect  the  beautiful 
Valhalla  in  time  of  danger. 

WOTAN'S   WIFE 

Morning  dawned. 

The  king  of  the  giants  went  forth  from  his 
castle  and  called  Brunhilde,  his  favorite  bat- 
tle-maiden. 

He  loved  Brunhilde  more  than  any  other 
of  the  Walkiire. 

She  was  the  bravest  of  them  all. 

He  loved  her  as  a  father  loves  a  daughter. 

*^ Brunhilde/'  said  Wotan,  "to-day  there 
is  to  be  a  fearful  battle.  The  fierce  Hunding 
is  to  fight  with  my  dearest  friend  —  the  val- 
iant Siegmund. 

"Long  have  I  wished  to  have  my  noble 
friend  at  Valhalla.  Fly,  Brunhilde,  to  the 
battlefield.  Give  to  Siegmund  the  victory. 
Carry  him  here  to  dwell  upon  the  heights. '' 


THE  WALKURE  57 

At  that  moment  Wotan^s  wife  rushed  to 
them  in  great  anger. 

*'Wotan/'  she  cried,  ^'Siegmund  must  not 
be  brought  to  Yalhalla.  I  ask  that  my  friend, 
the  forest  chief,  shall  be  given  aid.  Send 
Brunhilde  to  bear  Hunding  to  our  castle.  ^^ 

^'No,'^  replied  Wotan,  ''I  must  protect 
Siegmund.  He  it  is  who  won  my  sword. ^' 

''  Take  the  sword  from  him,^^  replied  Wo- 
tan^s  wife  in  rage.  "  I  plead  for  Hunding^s 
rights.  Promise  me  that  you  will  forbid  your 
war-maiden  to  give  aid  to  Siegmund. '^ 

Wotan's  heart  ached  at  the  thought  of  fail- 
ing this  friend  he  loved  so  well. 

On  Siegmund  were  centered  all  his  hopes. 
Yet  he  feared  to  refuse  his  wife's  request. 

Quarrels  and  strife  must  not  come  into 
Valhalla. 

He  threw  himself  upon  a  rocky  seat  and 
hung  his  head  and  thought  in  silence. 

At  length  he  said :  — 

**I  promise.  From  Siegmund  I  withdraw 
my  aid.'' 


68  THE  WALKURE 


WOTAN   AND   BEUNHILDE 

Now  that  Wotan's  wife  had  gained  his 
promise,  she  turned  back  to  Valhalla. 

Wotan  buried  his  face  in  his  hand  and 
cried  out  in  despair :  — 

*^0h,  woe  and  shame  upon  the  giants! 
What  I  love  best  I  must  give  up.  I  lose  the 
friend  I  hold  most  dear.  All  my  hopes  are 
vanishing.  A  short  time  and  the  giants  will 
be  no  more.^' 

Loudly  he  moaned:  **This  is  the  curse 
that  clutched  me  when  I  snatched  the  glit- 
tering gold.^' 

Brunhilde  knelt  atWotan^s  feet,  and,  look- 
ing into  his  sad  eyes  begged :  — 

''  Tell  me.  Father,  what  thy  child  can  do. 
Trust  me,  Father! ''  she  pleaded.  *'Tell  me 
all  your  woe." 

Wotan  took  her  hands  in  his  and  told  her 
the  story  of  the  ring. 

How  he  had  taken  it  from  the  finger  of  the 
dwarf. 


THE  WALKURE  69 

How  he  had  stooped  to  trickery  and  had 
stolen  the  gold  with  which  to  pay  for  Val- 
halla. 

He  told  of  the  sad  hearts  of  the  Rhine- 
daughters,  and  of  the  greedy  Fafner,  lying 
at  the  door  of  his  forest  cave,  guarding  his 
hoard. 

But  last  of  all,  he  told  of  the  dread  of 
Alberich^s  curse. 

He  told  of  his  fear  that  the  black  Nibelung 
might  regain  the  ring  and  by  its  power  de- 
stroy Valhalla. 

OFF  TO   THE   BATTLEFIELD 

When  Brunhilde  had  heard  the  story  of 
the  curse,  she  said :  — 

*'But,  Father,  Alberich  could  not  destroy 
Valhalla.  Think  of  all  the  heroes  gathered 
there.  Surely,  they  can  protect  it  from  all 
danger.'' 

*' Brunhilde,  my  child,"  sighed  Wotan, 
"  you  do  not  know  the  power  of  that  ring 
when  it  is  in  the  hands  of  Alberich.  Once 


60  THE  WALKtJRE 

he  gains  it,  he  can  do  with  it  what  he  will, 
because  he  has  given  up  all  love.  With  it, 
he  could  turn  my  friends  into  enemies.  Our 
heroes  would  then  fight  for  Alberich. 

"I  have  long  hoped  that  a  hero  might 
come  who  would  be  brave  enough  to  slay 
the  dragon.  I  hoped  it  might  be  Siegmund. 
But  now  I  must  desert  him  in  his  time  of 
need.  Though  it  breaks  my  heart,  I  must 
give  him  up. 

"Darkness  and  gloom  are  fast  gathering 
upon  Valhalla.  Go,  BrunhUde.  Go  quickly  to 
the  battlefield  and  shield  my  wife's  friend.'' 

'*No,  no.  Father,  I  cannot !  "  cried  the  bat- 
tle-maiden. "  You  love  Siegmund,  and  I  shall 
guard  him  well." 

At  these  words  the  mighty  Wotan  grew 
wrathful  and  cried :  — 

*^How  dare  you  disobey  me,  child?  Go,  I 
say !  Give  to  Hunding  the  victory,  and  thus 
fulfill  my  promise." 

Sadly  Brunhilde  took  up  her  spear  and 
shield  and  rode  away  to  the  battlefield. 


THE  WALKURE  61 


THE  FLIGHT 


Closely  Brunhilde  watched  the  struggle. 

When  she  saw  how  fairly  and  valiantly 
the  noble  Siegmund  fought,  and  how  unfair 
and  cowardly  was  the  wicked  Hunding,  she 
thought:  — 

**I  shall  obey  my  king^s  wishes,  not  his 
words.  He  loves  Siegmund.^' 

She  hovered  nearer  as  the  battle  grew 
more  terrible. 

Suddenly  she  dashed  to  Siegmund's  side 
and  cried :  — 

''  Slay  him,  Siegmund,  with  your  match- 
less sword ! " 

Siegmund  raised  his  sword  to  deal  the 
deadly  blow,  when  lo!  Wotan  dashed  through 
a  rift  in  the  clouds  and  struck  Siegmund's 
sword  with  his  mighty  spear. 

The  sword  fell  in  pieces  at  the  feet  of 
Brunhilde.  The  victory  belonged  to  Hun- 
ding. 

Brunhilde,  terrified  by  the  angry  Wotan, 


62  THE  WALKURE 

snatched  up  the  broken  pieces  of  the  sword, 
and,  springing  to  her  saddle,  dashed  away. 

Faster  and  faster  she  fled  to  the  forest, 
bearing  the  broken  blade  to  Siegmund's  wife. 

''Siegmund  is  slain  !^^  she  cried.  **  These 
are  the  pieces  of  his  mighty  sword.  Keep 
them  for  your  son,  Siegfried.  He  will  be 
brave  like  his  father. 

**  Tes,  Siegfiied  will  be  the  bravest  hero 
the  world  has  ever  known.'' 

Then,  springing  again  to  her  saddle,  she 
fled  toward  the  mountains. 

*' On!  on!  my  fiery  steed ! ''  she  urged. 

No  battle-maiden  ever  rode  so  fast. 

If  she  could  but  reach  the  other  battle- 
maidens  before  the  wrathful  Wotan  overtook 
her,  surely,  they  would  protect  her  from  his 
anger. 

THE  PUNISHMENT 

It  was  the  custom  for  the  battle-maidens 
to  meet  at  Walkiire  Rock  every  evening  at 
sunset. 


THE  WALKURE  63 

This  was  the  highest  peak  in  the  moun- 
tains. From  here  they  would  ride  into  Val- 
halla, each  carrying  the  hero  whom  she  had 
snatched  from  the  battlefield. 

''  Heiho !  hoyotoho !  heiho  I  "  called  each 
as  she  neared  the  peak,  and  ^' Heiho!  hoyo- 
toho I  heiho  I  ^^  came  the  answer. 

At  length  all  but  one  had  reached  the  rock. 

"Why  does  Brunhilde  not  come?"  they 
asked  of  each  other  anxiously. 

"What  has  happened  that  she  should  be 
so  late?" 

Loudly  they  called:  "Heiho I  hoyotoho! 
heiho ! " 

Looking  toward  the  valley,  they  saw  Brun- 
hilde riding  fast. 

Her  horse  was  flecked  with  foam. 

"  Heiho !  hoyotoho !  heiho ! "  they  shouted ; 
and  "Heiho!  hoyotoho!  heiho!"  came  Brun- 
hilde's  answer. 

She  reached  the  peak  and  sprang  from  her 
saddle,  crying :  — 

"  Help  me.  Sisters !  help  me !  I  disobeyed 
our  king ! " 


64  THE  WALKURE 

Even  as  she  cried  Wotan  drew  near. 

**  Where  is  Brunhilde?^'  he  screamed  in 
anger. 

The  skies  grew  black  with  the  storm  of 
his  wrath. 

**  Every  one  of  you  who  dares  to  shield  her 
shall  share  her  punishment." 

Brunhilde,  weeping,  walked  out  from  her 
hiding-place  among  her  sisters. 

Sinking  at  Wotan^s  feet  she  cried :  — 

"  Here  I  am,  Father.  What  punishment  is 
mine?'' 

Wotan  spoke  in  solemn  tones :  — 

"Never  again  shall  you  see  the  beautiful 
Valhalla.  Never  shall  you  carry  another  hero 
to  your  king. 

"You  shall  lie  down  upon  this  mountain 
peak,  and  here  you  shall  sleep  until  some 
wanderer  in  passing  shall  awaken  you,  and 
his  wife  you  shall  be.'' 

"  You  cannot  mean  it.  Father !  Anything 
but  this!  Never  to  see  Valhalla?  Never  to 
ride  with  the  Walkiire?  Father!  Father! 
Take  back  these  words  of  doom!  " 


THE  WALKURE  65 

Brunhilde's  sisters  began  to  plead  for 
her. 

**  Go !  ^^  he  cried, ''  every  one  of  you.  Leave 
Brunhilde  to  me  V 

Frightened  by  great  Wotan's  awful  wrath, 
they  spurred  their  horses  and  dashed  away 
to  Valhalla. 

THE   SLEEP 

Slowly  the  storm  clouds  drifted  away. 
The  twilight  came. 

Still  Brunhilde  lay  in  fear  and  grief  at 
Wotan's  feet. 

At  length  she  lifted  her  sad  eyes  to  Wotan 
and  cried :  — 

"  Was  it  so  wrong,  this  thing  that  I  have 
done  ?  'T  is  you  who  taught  me  to  shield  the 
brave  and  the  true.  I  only  sought  to  care  for 
one  you  loved.  ^' 

*' Brunhilde,  you  disobeyed  me.  I  have 
told  you  what  your  punishment  shall  be.  I 
cannot  change  it.'' 

"Then  grant  me,  Father,  this  one  wish: 


66  THE  WALKtjRE 

that  you  will  make  the  place  where  I  sleep 
so  no 'coward  can  reach  me.  Make  it  so  none 
but  a  hero  will  dare  come  near/^ 

Then,  taking  Brunhilde  in  his  arms,  he 
said :  — 

**I  grant  your  wish,  my  child.  I  shall  en- 
circle the  place  with  magic  fire.  Only  he 
who  knows  no  fear  may  claim  you  for  his 
bride.  ^^ 

Then  Wotan  kissed  Brunhilde  upon  each 
eyelid,  and  she  fell  fast  asleep. 

Gently  he  bore  her  to  a  mossy  mound  be- 
neath a  spreading  fir  tree. 

Laying  her  down,  he  looked  long  and  lov- 
ingly upon  her  sweet,  brave  face. 

He  drew  her  helmet  close  over  her  eyes, 
and  laid  her  shield  upon  her  breast. 

The  flowers  went  to  sleep. 

Brunhilde's  noble  steed  lay  down  and 
slept. 

"  FareweU,  my  cMld,  most  brave  and  beautiful ! 
Thou  life  and  light  of  all  my  heart,  farewell ! 
Pride  of  my  soul,  farewell,  a  long  farewell !  " 


THE  WALKURE  67 


THE   MAGIC   FIRE 

WoTAN  strode  a  few  steps  away  from  where 
Brunhilde  slept,  then  struck  the  rock  with 
his  mighty  spear.  \ 

Eed  flames  shot  up,  leaping  almost  to  the 
sky.  They  were  magic  flames  and  would  not 
harm  any  one. 

But  they  looked  like  real  fire,  and  none 
but  a  hero  would  dare  go  into  them. 

They  would  frighten  away  all  cowards. 

Wotan  walked  around  the  peak,  drawing 
a  line  with  his  spear. 

From  every  place  the  spear  touched  the  fire 
burst  forth,  until  at  length  the  mound  where 
Brunhilde  slept  was  entirely  encircled  by 
lurid  flames. 

Great  Wotan  looked  upon  his  work.  Then 
he  turned  and  called  to  all  the  mountains 
and  the  valleys  below :  — 

"  Whoso  dareth  Wotan's  spear, 
Whoso  knoweth  naught  of  fear, 
Let  him  burst  these  flames  of  war, 
lict  him  leap  this  fiery  bar !  " 


SIEGFEIED 

THE  MISSING  MIMI 

The  cunning  Mimi  secretly  longed  to  steal 
out  into  the  world  and  find  that  magic  ring. 

One  night  when  all  the  other  little  Nibe- 
lungs  were  asleep,  he  slipped  stealthily  to 
his  forge. 

He  gathered  up  his  best  tools. 

Making  sure  that  all  were  soundly  sleep- 
ing, he  stole  quietly  out. 

What  surprise  and  excitement  there  must 
have  been  the  next  morning  when  the  little 
black  Nibelungs  found  that  Mimi  had  run 
away  and  had  taken  all  of  his  best  tools  with 
him! 

How  they  must  have  rushed  about,  each 
anxious  to  tell  another  the  news  of  the  miss- 
ing Mimi ! 

Of  course,  Alberich  guessed  very  quickly 
for  what  purpose  his  brother  had  gone. 


SIEGFRIED  69 

And  how  Alberich  must  have  raged  when 
he  thought  of  what  a  sad  day  it  would  be  for 
him  should  Mimi  become  owner  of  that  ring! 

Mimi  was  strangely  clever. 

He  said  to  himseK :  ''  That  ring  is  hidden 
somewhere  in  the  forest.  I  will  go  there  and 
search  until  I  know  who  has  it.  Then  I  will 
find  some  way  of  getting  it.'' 

On  he  went,  until  he  came  to  the  darkest 
place  in  the  woods. 

The  boughs  overlapped  each  other,  so  much 
that  almost  no  sunshine  could  get  through. 

Mimi  liked  this  place.  It  was  soothing  to 
his  eyes,  so  used  to  the  darkness  of  the  Ni- 
belungs'  cavern. 

THE  DRAGON 

Mimi  had  found  the  very  forest  which  he 
sought  to  find. 

This  was  the  one  in  which  the  dragon  lay 
guarding  the  hoard. 

The  sly  dwarf  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  huge 
monster  lying  at  the  door  of  its  cave. 


70  SIEGFRIED 

Its  great  yawning  jaws  and  sharp  teeth 
filled  him  with  terror. 

Mimi  darted  into  the  underbrush.  How 
glad  he  was  that  the  monster  had  not  seen 
him. 

He  shook  and  trembled  with  fear  as  he 
peeped  at  the  loathsome  creature. 

Its  body  was  covered  with  green  scales. 
Poison  breath  came  from  its  nostrils. 

Its  awful  snake-like  tail  twisted  and  lashed 
about.  In  the  end  of  the  tail  was  a  deadly 
sting. 

**Alberich^s  ring  is  in  that  cave/'  thought 
Mimi.  *'Now  close  to  this  forest  I  must  find 
a  good  little  cavern  in  which  to  live. 

'*Then  I  can  come  often  to  watch  the 
dragon. 

*'Some  day  I  shall  find  a  hero  to  slay  this 
fierce  monster.  Then  I  shall  slink  into  the 
cave  and  snatch  the  ring. 

*'Ho!  ho!  my  brother  Alberich !  We  shall 
see  who  shall  be  master  and  who  shall  be 
slave ! '' 


SIEGFRIED  71 


A  BABY   IN   THE   FOREST 

Mtmt  found  a  cavern  in  a  rocky  cleft.  It 
v\^as  just  the  kind  of  place  he  liked. 

In  it  was  just  the  right  kind  of  rock  for  a 
forge. 

There  he  hammered  at  weapons  or  chains 
or  whatever  happened  to  be  his  need. 

Daily  he  sneaked  about  in  the  underbrush, 
watching  the  dragon,  and  daily  he  became 
more  anxious  to  gain  the  gold. 

He  was  such  a  coward  that  he  was  fright- 
ened at  almost  every  animal  he  saw  in  the 
woods  and  startled  by  every  sound. 

One  day,  w^hen  he  had  ventured  farther 
from  his  cave  than  usual,  he  was  startled  by 
a  strange  little  cry. 

He  listened  a  moment  and  thought :  — 

**  It  sounds  like  the  cry  of  a  little  child. 
I  shall  run  to  my  cave.'' 

But  as  he  heard  the  cry  again,  something 
made  him  want  to  see  what  it  was. 

He  slipped  cautiously  through  the  bushes, 


72  SIEGFRIED 

in  the  direction  from  which  the  sound 
came. 

When  he  reached  the  place  he  found  a  lit- 
tle baby  boy. 

This  was  the  same  forest  to  which  Brun- 
hilde  had  fled,  bearing  the  broken  sword  to 
Siegmund^s  wife. 

But  now  the  mother  had  died,  and  Sieg- 
mund's  child  was  left  alone  in  the  woods. 

MIMI   AND   THE  BABY 

MiMi  was  mean  and  selfish. 

He  would  not  even  have  cared  for  a  little 
child  alone  in  the  woods  had  he  not  thought 
that  by  so  doing  he  might  gain  something 
for  himself. 

As  he  looked  at  the  baby  he  heard  a 
strange  voice  saying :  — 

''  Siegfried  is  his  name,  and  only  he  who 
knows  no  fear  can  mend  the  sword/' 

**The  sword?  The  sword?''  questioned 
Mimi.  ''  What  does  the  voice  mean  ?  " 

Going  nearer  to  the  child,  he  saw  close 


SIEGFRIED  73 

beside  it  the  broken  pieces  of  Siegmund's 
sword. 

Mimi  picked  up  the  pieces  and  looked  at 
them. 

**The  finest  piece  of  steel  I  ever  saw/'  he 
chuckled,  as  he  ran  his  fingers  carefully  along 
the  keen  edges. 

Then  he  cried  aloud  in  joy. 

**  At  last  I  have  found  the  hero !  This  lit- 
tle baby  is  the  son  of  some  valiant  warrior. 
These  are  the  broken  pieces  of  the  warrior's 
sword.  Such  luck  for  Mimi ! 

**  The  boy  will  be  a  warrior  like  his  father. 
I  shall  take  him  to  my  cave  and  take  good 
care  of  him. 

**When  he  is  grown  up  I  will  make  him 
pay  me  for  my  care  and  pains.  He  shall  slay 
the  dragon.  Then  I  will  take  the  ring.'' 

He  lifted  the  little  baby  as  gently  as  he 
knew  how,  and  started  toward  his  cave. 

Again  he  heard  the  same  strange  voice:  — 

''Siegfried  is  his  name,  and  only  he  who 
knows  no  fear  can  mend  the  sword." 

*'Ha!  ha!"  chuckled  Mimi.  "That  voice 


74  SIEGFRIED 

does  not  know  what  a  skillful  smith  Mimi 
is. 

*^  I  will  mend  the  sword  and  Siegfried  shall 
use  it  to  slay  the  dragon/' 

He  folded  the  baby  close  in  his  rough, 
black  little  arms. 

*' A  few  more  years,  a  few  more  years,'' 
he  gurgled  in  glee,  "•  and  Mimi's  hands  shall 
clutch  the  precious  gold." 

SIEGFEIilD   AND   HIS  FEIENDS 

Mimi  took  good  care  of  Siegfried. 

When  the  boy  had  grown  large  enough  to 
play  about  in  the  woods,  Mimi  made  for  him 
a  little  silver  horn. 

Siegfried  loved  all  the  birds  and  the  wild 
animals. 

He  knew  they  were  his  best  friends,  for 
somethiQg  in  Mimi's  face  always  showed  him 
that  the  dwarf  was  false. 

Siegfried  would  wander  out  into  the  for- 
est with  his  silver  horn  swinging  from  his 
shoulder. 


SIEGFRIED  75 

He  would  blow  his  little  horn  song,  and 
his  forest  friends  would  hear  the  call  and 
come  to  play  with  him. 

He  watched  the  birds  as  they  built  their 
nests. 

He  listened  to  the  father  bird  as  he  war- 
bled his  pretty  little  love  songs. 

How  sweetly  he  sang  to  the  mother  bird 
while  she  sat  upon  the  nest ! 

And  when  the  little  eggs  had  told  their 
secret,  both  the  father  and  the  mother  birds 
carried  food  to  the  babies. 

Siegfried  saw  how  tenderly  the  mother 
foxes,  wolves,  and  bears  cared  for  their 
babies. 

From  these  friends  in  the  forest  he  learned 
what  love  is. 

Never  for  all  the  world  would  he  have  - 
stolen  one  baby  from  its  mother. 

But  it  was  when  he  watched  the  love-light 
in  the  eyes  of  the  mother  deer  that  he  would 
shut  his  eyes  and  try  to  dream  that  he  too 
had  a  loving  mother. 


76  SIEGFRIED 


THE  BEOKEN  SWORD 

MiMi  always  pretended  to  be  Siegfried's 
father,  and  he  pretended  to  love  Sieg- 
fried. 

But  Siegfried  knew  there  was  no  love  in 
Mimics  heart. 

Daily  Siegfried  grew  larger  and  stronger. 

Mimi  continually  boasted  of  his  work  at 
the  forge. 

Often  he  said :  "  No  one  in  this  world  can 
make  such  marvelous  swords  as  Mimi.^' 

Siegfried  urged  him  to  make  one  sword 
after  another,  but  as  fast  as  they  were  made 
the  boy  would  shatter  them  to  bits  with  one 
blow  on  the  dwarf's  forge. 

Then  he  would  cry  in  disgust :  "  Nonsense, 
Mimi.  Tour  swords  are  mere  toys.  Just  like 
little  switches. 

''  Either  make  me  a  good  strong  sword  or 
quit  your  bragging.'' 

Mimi  always  kept  the  pieces  of  Siegmund's 
sword  carefully  hidden. 


SIEGFRIED  77 

While  Siegfried  roamed  through  the  woods, 
the  dwarf  would  work  for  hours  trying  to 
mend  the  magic  blade,  but  its  hard  steel 
would  never  yield  either  to  his  fire  or  his 
hammer, 

Mimi  grew  tired  and  discouraged. 

''  I  can  never  mend  it,"  he  groaned. 

A  BIG  BROWN  BEAR 

Siegfried  grew  to  be  a  young  man. 

Often  he  saw  his  reflection  in  the  water, 
and  he  said :  — 

"  I  am  not  Mimics  son.  The  babes  in  the 
forest  all  look  like  their  parents.  I  do  not 
look  like  Mimi." 

Siegfried's  reflection  showed  him  a  fear- 
less face  with  large,  honest  eyes. 

About  the  face  fell  a  wealth  of  waving, 
sunny  hair. 

One  day,  as  he  studied  this  reflection  and 
thought  of  the  blinking,  sneaking  little  black 
Mimi,  he  said :  — 

**  I  will  endure  his  falsehoods  no  longer.  I 


78  SIEGFRIED 

know  he  is  not  my  father.  This  very  day 
I  am  going  to  make  him  tell  me  who  I 
am!^' 

Lifting  his  silver  horn,  he  blew  a  loud 
blast. 

Out  of  the  woods  came  one  of  his  good 
friends,  a  great  brown  bear. 

"Come,  Bruin,''  said  Siegfried. 

And  he  put  a  rope  around  Bruin's  neck. 

"We  will  go  to  Mimi's  cave  and  we 
will  make  him  tell  us  all  we  want  to 
know." 

Siegfried  led  the  big  bear  to  the  mouth  of 
Mimi's  cave. 

When  the  cowardly  Mimi  saw  the  bear,  he 
crouched  behind  the  forge  and  screamed :  — 

"  Take  him  away!  Oh,  Siegfried,  take  him 
away ! " 

"Eat  him,  Bruin,"  laughed  Siegfried,  as 
Mimi  trembled  with  fear. 

The  bear  growled  at  Mimi. 

"  Oh  !  keep  him  off !  "  gasped  Mimi. 

"I  shall,"  said  Siegfried,  "if  you  will 
promise  to  answer  all  I  ask." 


SIEGFRIED 


79 


•*EAT  HIM,  BRUIN,"  LAUGHED  SIEGFRIED 


"I  will!  I  will!  I  will  tell  you  anything 
you  want  to  know,"  stammered  Mimi. 

Siegfried  untied  the  rope. 

**  Good-bye,  Bruin,"  he  said,  as  he  gave 
him  a  friendly  slap  on  the  back,  and  the  big 
bear  trotted  oflf  to  the  woods. 


80  SIEGFRIED 


SIEGFEIED   AND   MIMI 

MiMi  and  Siegfried  sat  down  upon  the 
rocks  in  the  cave,  and  Mimi  told  how  he  had 
found  the  baby  in  the  woods  and  how  he 
had  brought  him  to  the  cave. 

Mimi  put  in  many  words  of  how  much 
Siegfried  owed  for  all  this  care  and  trouble. 

"  Thou  givest  me  always  trouble  and  pain, 
I  wear  to  shreds  poor  foolish  me ! 
Now,  for  my  care,  this  is  my  gain,  — 
Only  abuse  and  hate  from  thee." 

Siegfried  looked  straight  into  Mimics  eyes. 

He  tried  to  see  if  Mimi  were  telling  the 
truth. 

''  How  did  you  know  my  name  was  Sieg- 
fried?'' he  asked. 

Then  Mimi  told  of  the  strange  voice  which 
said :  — 

**  Siegfried  is  his  name.'' 

But  not  once  did  the  dwarf  mention  the 
sword. 

''  You  cowardly  little  wretch !  "  cried  Sieg- 


SIEGFRIED  81 

fried.  ''  You  have  told  me  so  much  that  is 
not  true  that  I  can  never  believe  you. 

**  How  do  I  know  that  this  is  not  another 
of  your  miserable  falsehoods  ? 

*'  Prove  to  me  that  this  is  true,  or  I  shall 
make  you  sorry  that  you  ever  saw  me.  Prove 
it  to  me,  I  tell  you !  ^^  cried  Siegfried,  as  he 
grasped  the  shrinking  dwarf  by  the  shoul- 
ders. 

*'I  will!  I  will!^'  gasped  the  frightened 
Mimi ;  and  he  brought  out  the  broken  sword. 

SIEGFKIED   MENDS  HIS  FATHEE^S 
SWORD 

Siegfried  looked  at  the  sword. 

Then  handing  it  back  to  Mimi,  he  said:  — 

**  Mend  it  for  me,  Mimi !  Mend  it !  Now  is 
your  chance  to  prove  your  skill ! '' 

''  I  cannot !  Oh,  I  cannot ! ''  groaned  Mimi; 
and  he  gasped  out  the  rest  of  what  the  voice 
had  told  him :  — 

''  Only  he  who  knows  no  fear  can  mend 
the  sword. '^ 


82  SIEGFRIED 

Siegfried  took  the  broken  pieces  to  the 
forge  and  began  filing  them  to  dust. 

'' Stop,  Siegfried,  stop!  ^^  cried MimL  ''Ton 
will  ruin  that  blade ! '' 

But  Siegfried  kept  on  filing. 

He  sang  as  he  worked,  until  the  pieces 
were  filed  to  dust. 

Then  he  melted  the  dust  and  poured  the 
hot  liquid  into  a  mould  the  shape  of  a  blade. 

When  it  had  hardened,  he  took  it  out  and 
sharpened  it. 

Then  he  welded  the  blade  to  its  hilt. 

" Ha!  ha! ''  chuckled  Mimi.  ''  At  last  the 
sword  is  mended. 

"Now  I  will  show  Siegfiied  the  dragon. 
He  will  not  know  a  ring  is  in  the  dragon's 
cave. 

"When  the  dragon  is  dead,  the  ring  shall 
be  Mimics. 

"Mimi,  you  are  no  longer  the  despised 
little  Nibelung.  You  are  the  king  of  the 
earth.'' 

Joyously  Siegfried  waved  the  bright  blade 
above  his  head/ 


SIEGFRIED  83 

He  brought  it  down  with  all  his  strength 
upon  the  forge,  and  with  a  mighty  crash  the 
huge  rock  fell  in  pieces. 

Mimi  sank  in  terror  to  the  ground. 

SIEGFEIED   GOES  TO   FIGHT   THE 
DEAGON 

*'  Get  up,  you  coward!  "  cried  Siegfried. 

**  Now  tell  me  what  that  thing  is  that  I  do 
not  know.  Fear  ?  What  is  fear  ?  Why  did  you 
not  teach  it  to  me  ?  " 

The  wicked  dwarf  slipped  to  Siegfried's  side. 

**  I  will  teach  you.  Come  with  me.  I  will 
show  you  a  horrible  serpent,  lying  at  the 
door  of  Hate  Cavern. 

"There  you  will  learn  what  fear  is,  if  you 
can  learn  it  any  place  in  this  world. 

**  Have  you  never  seen  anything  that  made 
you  shiver  from  head  to  foot  and  made  your 
heart  beat  fast?" 

**I  never  have,"  calmly  answered  Sieg- 
fried. "Take  me  quickly,  Mimi.  I  am  ready 
to  learn." 


84  SIEGFRIED 

At  every  step  Mimi  chuckled  to  him- 
self:— 

''The  ring  is  mine!  At  last  the  ring  is 
mine !  Now  all  the  world  shall  kneel  at  my 
feet!" 

When  he  had  gone  as  far  as  he  dared,  he 
pointed  out  the  rest  of  the  way  to  Siegfried. 

''Just  through  here,"  he  said.  "And  I 
shall  go  back  now.  When  the  dragon  sees 
you  it  will  be  a  terrible  struggle !  I  shall  wait 
anxiously  for  you,  my  Siegfried !  " 

But  as  Siegfried  vanished  from  sight,  he 
rubbed  his  black  hands  together  and 
laughed :  — 

"Ah,  it  will  be  luck  for  Mimi  if  Siegfried 
and  the  dragon  kill  each  other  1 '' 

A  WOOD-BIRD'S  SONG 

When  Siegfried  had  gone  on  a  little  way, 
he  stretched  himself  upon  a  grassy  mound 
beneath  a  tree  to  rest  and  think. 

Looking  up  through  the  branches  at  the 
clear  sky,  he  cried :  — 


SIEGFRIED  86 

*'  I  am  free  !  Free  !  Never  again  will  I  go 
back  to  that  loathsome  Nibelung/' 

A  bird  in  the  tree  began  singing  its  sweet 
wood-song. 

**How  do  you  do,  my  little  feathered 
friend!''  said  Siegfried.  *'I  am  sure  what 
you  are  singing  is  very  sweet,  but  I  cannot 
understand  your  words.'' 

Then  Siegfried  cut  a  reed  near  by,  and  put- 
ting it  to  his  lips,  tried  to  whistle  answers 
to  the  little  bird's  notes. 

His  music  did  not  sound  much  like  the 
song  of  a  bird. 

"I  give  it  up,  my  little  friend,"  he  said, 
and  threw  away  the  reed. 

SIEGFRIED   AND   THE   DEAGON 

"I  WILL  blow  you  a  song  on  my  silver 
horn,"  said  Siegfried  to  the  bird. 

**I  often  blow  this  little  song.  It  is  my 
call  for  a  comrade.  I  long  for  one.  None  bet- 
ter have  ever  come  to  me  than  the  bears  and 
foxes." 


86  SIEGFRIED 

Loudly  he  blew  his  horn. 

Soon  there  was  a  great  crackling  in  the 
underbrush.  The  huge  dragon  came,  lash- 
ing its  deadly  tail,  gaping  its  red  jaws,  and 
blowing  out  poison  fumes. 

*'  Ho! ''  laughed  Siegfried.  *'  What  a  fair 
comrade  I  have  charmed  fi'om  his  cave !  You 


"I  AM  GOING  TO  EAT  YOU,"  HISSED  THE  DRAGON 

savage  brute,  are  you  going  to  teach  me  what 
fear  is  ?  '^ 

**  I  am  going  to  eat  you!''  hissed  the 
dragon,  glaring  at  Siegfried  and  thrusting 
out  its  long  forked  tongue. 


SIEGFRIED  87 

Siegfried  quickly  drew  his  sword. 

Snorting  fire  and  smoke  from  its  nostrils, 
the  monster  raised  to  strike  a  deadly  blow. 

Siegfried  sprang  forward ;  a  flash  of  steel, 
and  his  blade  sank  to  the  monster's  heart. 

A  CHANGE  COMES  OVEE  SIEGFRIED 

As  Siegfried  drew  his  blade  from  the 
breast  of  the  dying  dragon,  a  drop  of  its 
black  blood  fell  on  his  finger. 

It  burned  like  fire. 

Siegfried  quickly  put  his  finger  in  his  mouth. 

The  instant  the  dragon's  blood  touched 
his  lips,  a  change  came  over  him. 

He  could  understand  the  words  of  the  little 
bird  singing  in  the  tree :  — 

*'  Now  the  gold  is  Siegfried's ! 
Now  all  the  gold  is  Siegfried's ! 
Go  into  the  cave,  Siegfried ! 
Go  in !  Go  in ! 

Find  the  helmet  and  the  ring ! 
The  helmet  and  the  ring  are  Siegfried's  I 
Take  them !  Take  them !  Take  them ! " 


88  SIEGFRIED 

Siegfried  went  through  the  brush  in  the 
direction  from  which  the  monster  had  come. 

When  he  found  the  cave,  he  peered  in. 

All  was  deep,  dreary  darkness,  but  Sieg- 
fried had  not  learned  fear. 

He  went  in  and  found  the  gold,  the  hel- 
met, and  the  ring. 

But  he  did  not  need  the  gold.  Its  weight 
would  only  hinder  him. 

He  looked  upon  the  wishing-cap,  but  surely 
no  one  could  turn  into  anything  better  than 
a  hero,  and  Siegfried  was  already  a  hero. 

What  use  could  he  have  for  a  wishing-cap? 

A  hero  does  not  try  to  make  believe  he  is 
something  which  he  is  not. 

He  is  brave  enough  to  be  just  himself. 

But  the  little  bird  fluttered  at  the  door  of 
the  cave. 

''  Take  the  helmet  and  the  ring,  Siegfried! 
Take  the  helmet  and  the  ring ! '' 

''  I  will  obey  my  little  friend, '^  said  Sieg- 
fried. 


SIEGFRIED  89 

MIMI   HAS  A   SUEPEISE 

The  sly,  wicked  Mimi  came  slinking  to 
tlie  place  where  the  dragon  lay. 

When  he  saw  it  lying  dead  under  the  trees, 
he  looked  about  for  Siegfried,  but  Siegfried 
was  nowhere  to  be  seen. 

**Now  I  shall  rush  in  and  snatch  the 
ring!  At  last  I  shall  have  my  pay  for  all 
these  years  of  trouble  with  that  rogue  I 
hate ! '' 

But  scarcely  had  Mimi  turned  toward  the 
dragon^s  cave  when  suddenly  Alberich  sprang 
before  him. 

**Tou  sly,  crafty  rascal! ''  cried  Alberich. 
**What  do  you  want  here?  Ha!  I  have 
caught  you  at  your  sneaking  tricks !  Long 
have  I  guarded  here  I  You  shall  not  steal  my 
gold!  Get  back  to  your  murky  cave." 

But  Mimi  screamed :  — 

*'  You  shall  not  have  the  gold  !  T  is  mine ! 
Long  years  have  I  toiled  and  waited!  The 
gold  is  mine,  I  say !  " 


90  SIEGFRIED 

"Tours?''  Alberich  snarled  in  scorn. 
**  Yours  ?  Tou  snatched  it  from  the  Rhine- 
daughters,  did  you  ?  You  paid  the  price  to 
mould  that  ring?  '' 

And  Mimi  raved  :  — 

"Who  made  the  helmet,  that  wondrous 
cap  that  in  a  flash  can  change  a  man  into 
anything  he  wants  to  be  ? '' 

MIMI   AND   ALBERICH   STOP  TO 
QUARREL   TOO   LONG 

While  Mimi  and  Alberich  quarreled,  Sieg- 
fried came  from  the  dragon's  cave,  bearing 
the  helmet  and  the  ring. 

He  heard  no  sound  save  the  rustling  of 
the  leaves  and  the  song  of  the  bird. 

Again  he  sat  down  in  the  shadow  of  a 
tree. 

"  Little  bird,  can  you  not  help  me  to  find 
a  true  friend?  "  asked  Siegfried. 

''  Each  year  you  have  your  mate  and  your 
little  birdlings  in  the  nest.  You  sing  songs 
with  the  other  birds. 


SIEGFRIED  91 

"  I  have  never  known  a  father  or  a  mother, 
a  sister  or  a  brother.  I  am  lonely. 

**Is  there  nowhere  in  all  this  world  some 
one  whom  I  may  love?  Some  one  who  will 
love  me?" 

Then  the  wood-bird  began  to  sing  a  pretty 
love-song  of  a  maiden  sleeping  on  the  crest 
of  a  mountain,  encircled  by  fire. 

Sweetly  he  sang :  —  "  Only  he  who  knows 
no  fear  may  claim  her  for  his  bride." 

Siegfried  sprang  to  his  feet.  **I  do  not 
know  fear.  I  have  tried  with  all  my  might 
to  learn  it.  Oh,  help  me  to  find  the  mountain 
where  she  sleeps!" 

The  little  bird  flew  away  in  the  opposite 
direction  from  where  the  wicked  Nibelungs 
stood  quarreling,  and  Siegfried  joyously  hur- 
ried after. 

SIEGFRIED  REACHES  THE  MOUNTAIN 

A  HEAVY  storm  arose  as  Siegfried  and  the 
bird  neared  the  foot  of  the  mountain  where 
Brunhilde  slept. 


92  SIEGFRIED 

There  were  peals  of  deep  thunder. 

The  sky  grew  very  dark.  The  great  boughs 
of  the  trees  swayed  with  the  wind. 

Siegfried  took  shelter  under  a  low  spread- 
ing fir. 

The  storm  did  not  last  long,  and  as  the 
light  again  broke  through  the  clouds,  Sieg- 
fried looked  about  for  his  little  guide,  but 
all  in  vain.  The  bird  had  fled. 

Siegfried  started  on  up  the  mountain, 
when  suddenly  the  giant  Wotan  stood  be- 
fore him. 

** What  are  you  doing  here?''  demanded 
Wotan. 

Siegfried  replied :  — 

*'  I  am  going  to  the  top  of  this  mountain. 
There  a  maiden  lies  sleeping.  I  will  awaken 
her,  and  she  shall  be  my  bride.'' 

*'  Go  back  to  your  forest ! "  commanded 
Wotan.  ' '  This  mountain  is  encircled  by  fire. ' ' 

And  stretching  forth  his  arm,  he  barred 
the  path  with  his  mighty  spear. 

Siegfried  quickly  drew  his  sword  from  its 
sheath. 


SIEGFRIED  93 

*'Tliis  is  the  magic  spear  that  rules  the 
world  I ''  said  Wotan.  ''  Put  away  that  sword, 
or  the  spear  that  once  shattered  it  will  shat- 
ter it  again!  '* 

**  Ha !  ^'  cried  Siegfried,  **  then  you  were  my 
father's  foe ! '' 

There  was  a  flash  of  Siegfried's  blade,  then 
a  crash  that  echoed  over  mountains  and  val- 
leys, and  Siegfried  had  shattered  Wotan's 
spear.  It  lay  in  splinters  on  the  ground. 

Wotan  stepped  aside  and  sadly  bowed  his 
head  upon  his  breast. 

He  knew  this  meant  the  downfall  of  the 
giants.  No  longer  would  the  earth  be  ruled 
from  fair  Valhalla's  heights. 

SIEGFEIED   LEARNS  WHAT  FEAR  IS 

Siegfried  hurried  up  the  mountain-side. 

The  fierce  flames  leaped  as  if  to  meet 
him. 

They  grew  redder,  and  lapped  their  fiery 
tongues. 

Siegfried  bounded  toward  them  with  joy. 


94  SIEGFRIED 

Lifting  his  silver  horn  to  his  lips,  and 
blowing  his  Comrade  Call  so  sweet  and  clear, 
he  plunged  into  their  depths. 

The  maddened  flames  leaped  and  crackled 
as  if  to  devour  him. 

But  on  he  went,  blowing  his  horn,  until 
at  length  the  sea  of  flames  slowly  sank  to 
earth. 

The  redness  of  the  sky  gave  way  to  blue, 
and  all  grew  clear  and  beautiful. 

Siegfried  looked  upon  the  sleeping  figure. 

All  the  world  seemed  wrapped  in  silence. 
Not  a  leaf  moved  on  the  trees. 

There  was  not  a  sound  to  mar  that  perfect 
sleep. 

Siegfried  looked  in  wonder  at  the  shining 
coat  of  mail. 

*'  It  is  some  valiant  knight,''  he  whispered. 

**  How  heavy  seems  the  armor.  It  should 
be  lifted  so  that  he  may  rest  better.'' 

Carefully  Siegfried  lifted  the  glittering 
shield  and  laid  it  to  one  side. 

Eagerly  he  raised  the  helmet.  There  fell 
a  mass  of  waving  golden  hair. 


SIEGFRIED  95 

"  A  burst  of  glorious  sunshine/^  whispered 
Siegfried. 

Then  he  sought  to  loosen  the  rings  that 
held  the  coat  of  mail. 

Finding  it  difficult,  he  drew  his  sword  and 
cut  them. 

The  shining  armor  fell  jingling  to  the 
ground. 

The  soft  white  folds  of  her  woman's  gown 
fell  loosely  about  her. 

Siegfried  started  back  and  stared  in  si- 
lence. 

He  trembled  from  head  to  foot. 

He  pressed  his  hand  to  his  fast-beating 
heart. 

**At  last!''  he  cried.  *'At  last!  I  know 
what  fear  is." 

THE   AWAKENING 

At  length  Siegfried  went  softly  to  Brun- 
hilde's  side. 

He  stood  and  looked  upon  her  sweet,  he- 
roic face,  and  love  came  into  his  heart. 


96  SIEGFRIED 

Bending  low,  he  tenderly  kissed  her. 

Brunhilde  slowly  opened  her  eyes. 

She  looked  up  at  the  blue  sky  and  the 
smiling  sun,  and  cried :  — 

**A11  hail  to  thee,  thou  glorious  sun  in 
heaven  I " 

The  flowers  slowly  opened  their  petals,  the 
birds  began  to  sing. 

Brunhilde' s  horse  awoke  and  neighed  his 
glad  call. 

Brunhilde  looked  upon  Siegfried. 

Slowly  her  memory  returned. 

As  she  remembered  Wotan's  words :  ^*  Only 
he  who  knows  no  fear  may  claim  you  for 
his  bride,"  she  knew  at  last  her  hero  had 
come. 

She  looked  into  Siegfried's  strong,  brave 
face,  and  as  he  told  her  of  his  love,  she  no 
longer  wished  to  go  back  to  Valhalla. 

She  knew  that  she  loved  Siegfried  with 
all  her  heart,  and  she  promised  to  be  his 
bride. 

She  told  him  that  she  would  always  be 
happy  when  she  was  by  his  side. 


GOTTERDAMMERUNG 

A  SONG   OF  THE  PAST 

One  very  dark  night,  three  Norns  came  to 
the  mountain  crest  to  spin. 


THREE  NORNS  CAME  TO  THE  MOUNTAIN  CREST  TO  SPIN 

If  you  had  seen  them,  you  would  have 
called  them  witches. 

They  spun  the  thread  of  fate. 

They  were  very,  very  old.  The  eldest  was 
almost  as  old  as  the  world. 


98  GOTTERDAMMERUNG 

They  were  tall  and  gaunt,  and  wore  long 
black  gowns. 

Their  faces  and  hands  were  deep- wrinkled 
with  age,  and  their  hair  was  as  white  as  the 
snow. 

They  had  come  up  from  the  great,  dark 
earth-hole,  where  they  lived,  and  now  they 
crouched  upon  the  rocks  to  spin  their 
thread. 

The  eldest  was  the  first  to  spin  the  thread, 
and  as  she  spun,  she  sang  a  song  about  the 
past,  when  Wotan  and  his  happy  family 
lived  out  of  doors  upon  the  mountain-side. 

She  sang  of  the  time  when  he  split  from 
the  world^s  ash  tree  the  piece  of  wood  from 
which  he  made  the  magic  spear,  which  had 
ruled  the  world  for  so  many  hundreds  of 
years. 

She  sang  of  Freya's  apples,  and  of  the 
strength  and  youth  of  the  giant  family. 

At  length  her  voice  wavered,  the  strange, 
weird  song  ceased,  and  she  tossed  the  thread 
to  the  second  Norn. 


GOTTERDAMMERUNG 


A   SONG   OF   THE   PRESENT 

As  the  second  Norn  took  the  thread  in  her 
worn  hands,  she  crooned  a  sorrowful  song 
about  the  present. 

She  sang  of  Alberich  and  the  stolen  gold. 
Of  the  love  that  he  had  given  up  in  order  to 
make  the  ring. 

She  sang  of  Wotan  and  how  he  grasped 
the  ring  and  carried  it  into  the  world,  bring- 
ing with  it  Alberich^s  curse. 

Then  she  told  of  Fafner. 

Mournfully  she  sang :  — 

*'  It  has  robbed  all  who  have  had  it  of 
their  freedom  and  happiness. 

*^  It  has  brought  envy  and  discontent  to 
those  who  have  struggled  to  gain  it. 

**Now  Wotan's  magic  spear  is  splintered. 

**  Oh  !  How  this  gold  has  tangled  all  my 
threads !  '^  she  wailed. 

Her  long,  gaunt  fingers  pulled  and  worked 
at  the  knots,  but  all  in  vain. 

She  could  not  straighten  out  the  snarls. 


100  gOtterdAmmerung 

*'Sing,  oh,  my  Sister,  sing!''  she  cried. 
**You  know  what  the  end  will  be." 

And  she  tossed  the  snarled  threads  to  the 
third  Norn. 

A  SONG   OF  THE  FUTURE 

The  third  Norn  took  up  the  thread. 

Twisting  and  untying,  she  sang  of  the  fu- 
ture. 

She  sang  of  the  downfall  of  the  giants. 

She  sang  of  the  time  when  Wotan  and  his 
family  would  be  no  more,  and  bright  Val- 
halla's halls  would  be  only  a  ruin. 

**But,  Sisters,  look ! "  she  cried.  *'  The  day 
is  dawning.  We  must  make  haste ! " 

She  tugged  at  the  thread.  The  knots  grew 
tighter. 

**  Oh,  see !  "  she  cried.  ''  I  cannot  make  it 
reach." 

Another  pull,  the  thread  snapped. 

The  three  Norns  wailed. 

Then,  snatching  up  the  broken  ends  of  their 
thread  of  fate,  they  vanished  in  the  gloom. 


GOTTESpAMMERUi^^^  ,      101 

A  PLEDGE   OF  LOVE 

The  days  went  by.  Siegfried  and  Brunhilde 
were  perfectly  happy  upon  the  mountain. 

One  day  they  decided  that  Siegfried  should 
go  forth  to  do  brave  deeds  in  the  world. 

He  would  come  back  when  he  had  won 
honor  and  fame. 

He  told  Brunhilde  how  anxious  he  would 
be  to  get  back  to  her,  and  that  he  would  come 
just  as  soon  as  he  could. 

Brunhilde  told  Siegfried  how  lonely  she 
would  be  without  him,  and  how  she  would 
listen  both  day  and  night  for  the  glad  call 
of  his  silver  horn. 

Siegfried  took  Brunhilde's  hand  and  put 
the  ring  upon  her  finger,  saying :  — 

**This,  Brunhilde,  shall  stay  with  you.  It 
shall  be  a  pledge  of  my  love  until  I  come 
again.'' 

Brunhilde  gave  Siegfried  her  swift  horse. 
On  it  he  should  ride  to  great  victories. 

Siegfried  led  the  horse  down  the  mountain. 


102    /  \ :  ;    '     ':  feOMERiyAMJ^ERUNG 

Every  little  way  he  looked  lovingly  back 
at  Brunhilde. 

They  called  and  waved  to  each  other  un- 
til he  passed  from  sight. 

And  after  that  Brunhilde  listened  to  the 
clear  notes  of  his  silver  horn,  until  at  length 
its  last  faint  echo  died  away. 

THE   DOOM   OF   VALHALLA 

Siegfried  had  been  away  several  days. 

Brunhilde  sat  looking  far  out  over  the 
valley. 

She  was  thinking  of  Siegfried  and  of  how 
he  was  proving  his  courage  to  the  world. 

She  lifted  her  hand  to  her  lips  and  kissed 
the  ring,  Siegfried^s  pledge  of  love. 

"•  Heiho !  hoyotoho !  heiho !  ^^  came  from  the 
valley  below. 

Brunhilde  sprang  to  her  feet  with  the  an- 
swer :  — 

''  Heiho !  hoyotoho !  heiho !  " 

Could  it  be  that  one  of  her  sisters  was 
coming  to  see  her  ? 


GOTTERDAMMERUNG  103 

Was  it  possible  that  one  of  the  Walkare 
would  so  far  dare  Wotan^s  wrath  as  to  ven- 
ture to  the  mountain's  crest  ? 

Nearer  came  the  call :  — 

''  Heiho  !  hoyotoho !  heiho !  " 

And  a  battle-maiden  came  in  sight. 

Brunhilde  was  very  happy  to  see  her  sis- 
ter again,  but  the  battle-maiden  looked  sad. 

She  brought  bad  news  from  Valhalla. 

She  and  Brunhilde  sat  down  upon  the 
rock,  and  the  battle-maiden  told  the  sad  story 
of  the  last  days  of  the  giants. 

*' Brunhilde,''  she  said,  *' Wotan  does  not 
know  that  I  have  come.  Valhalla  is  in  deep- 
est gloom. 

**  Wotan  has  never  sent  us  to  a  battlefield 
since  that  day  when  we  last  saw  you. 

**Not  long  ago  he  came  home  with  his 
magic  spear  broken  into  splinters.  He  sat 
down  and  buried  his  face  in  his  hands,  and 
there  he  sits  day  after  day. 

**He  tell  us  the  giants  are  passing  from 
the  earth.  A  little  while  and  Valhalla  shall 
be  no  more. 


104  GOTTERDAMMERUNG 

"He  refuses  all  of  Freya's  golden  fruit. 
He  has  grown  very  old  and  very  sad. 

"  Yesterday  I  heard  him  say,  *  Oh !  if 
Brunhilde  would  only  give  the  ring  back  to 
the  Rhine-daughters,  and  release  the  world 
from  the  terrible  curse  of  gold  I ' 

**  And,  Brunhilde,  I  have  come  to  beg  of 
you,  will  you  not  give  the  ring  back  to  the 
Rhine-daughters  ? '' 

Brunhilde  clasped  the  ring  close  to  her 
breast. 

**  Give  the  ring  to  the  Rhine-daughters  ? '' 
she  cried. 

Then  she  looked  far  away  toward  the  val- 
ley —  and  Siegfried. 

''  This  ring  of  mine  is  Siegfried's  pledge 
of  love ! '' 

LOVE 

The  next  morning  Brunhilde  stood  upon 
Walkiire  Rock  and  watched  the  glorious  sun- 
rise. 

Suddenly  she  heard  the  glad  notes  of  Sieg- 
fried's silver  horn. 


GOTTERDAMMERUNG  105 

"  Siegfried  I  Siegfried  I  ^'  she  cried  in  joy, 
and  hurried  down  the  mountain  to  greet 
him. 

All  the  earth  seemed  as  glad  as  at  that 
glad  time  when  Siegfried  came  to  Walktire 
Eock  to  claim  Brunhilde  for  his  bride. 

But  Brunhilde  was  not  altogether  happy. 

She  could  not  forget  the  sorrowful  news 
which  her  sister  had  brought,  of  the  gloom 
at  Valhalla. 

So,  after  their  first  glad  greeting,  they  sat 
down  upon  the  rocks,  and  Brunhilde  told 
Siegfried  the  sad  story  of  the  ring,  from  the 
time  when  Alberich  snatched  it  from  the 
Rhine-daughters,  until  the  day  Siegfried  took 
it  from  Hate  Cavern. 

Then,  hand  in  hand,  they  went,  the  val- 
iant Siegfried  and  the  noble  Brunhilde,  to 
the  banks  of  the  Rhine. 

They  called  to  the  Rhine-daughters  and 
the  Rhine-daughters  came  out  upon  the  rocks. 

With  a  glad  shout,  Brunhilde  flung  the 
ring  into  the  water. 

The  Rhine-daughters  darted  after  it. 


106  GOTTERDAMMERUNG 

In  a  moment  they  came  again  to  the  sur- 
face of  the  water. 

At  last  they  held  their  precious,  glitter- 
ing gold. 

The  happiest  song  that  ever  echoed  along 
the  banks  of  the  Ehine  was  sung  by  the 
Khine-daughters  on  that  glad  morning. 

Once  more  gold  had  become  as  harmless 
as  a  sunbeam. 

Hurry,  worry,  falsehood,  greed,  and  envy 
vanished  from  the  earth. 

Anxiety  disappeared  from  the  brows  of 
the  tired  fathers. 

A  new  happiness  came  into  the  eyes  of 
the  loving  mothers. 

A  greater  power  than  gold  or  giant  strength 
had  come  to  rule  the  world,  and  that  power 
was  Love. 


MORE  ABOUT  THE   STORIES 

The  author  would  not  have  you  think  that 
when  you  have  read  this  little  book  you 
know  all  that  Richard  Wagner  told  about 
Siegfried. 

When  you  are  older,  do  not  fail  to  read 
The  Rhine-Gold^  The  Walkure^  Siegfried,  and 
Gdtterddmmerung,  as  Richard  Wagner  told 
them. 

You  will  enjoy  them  more  because  of  hav- 
ing read  these  little  stories. 


PRONOUNCING  VOCABULARY 


1.  Alberich 

2.  Bruin 

8.  Brunhildo 

4.  Fafner 

6.  Freya 

6.  Gotterdammerung 

7.  Hunding 

8.  Loki 

9.  Mimi 

10.  Nibelheim 

11.  Nibelung 

12.  Norn 

13.  Richard  Wagner 

14.  Siegfried 

15.  Siegmund 

16.  Valhalla 

17.  Walkiire 

18.  Wotan 


Al'ber-iK 

Broo'in 

Broon-hil'de 

Favfner 

Fra'a 

Grut'er-dSm-Sr-o5ng 

Hoon'ding 

L5'kS 

Me'mS 

Ne'b61-him 

Ne'be-loong 

N6rn 

Vag'ner 

Seg'fred 

Seg'miind 

Val-hal'a 

Val-kii're 

Vo'tan 


^  The  pponunciations  indicated  above  are  marked  in  accordance  with 
those  given  in  Webster's  New  International  Dictionary. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

EDUCATION-PSYCHOLOGY 
LIBRARY 

TEL.  NO.  642-4209 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


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M  ii|RECD"'il  AM 

T.n  91  A    1  t;«i  1  '71                                General  Library 
(P^2?5Vsto)l?6''  I'32                   Universuy^of  California 

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